The Devil's Daughter
by DanuTalisIsles
Summary: The students are putting on a play at Heartland Academy! But when your writer is a crazed maniac from another world, things do not always go too well. Now with so many pairings even I can't keep track of them.
1. Chapter 1

"My gosh, I am so pumped for this play!" Yuma yelled out, plopping down on a seat in his school auditorium. "This is so going to rock!"

"Slow down, space cowboy." Kotori sighed, taking a seat next to him. "We don't know that it is going to rock JUST YET, so chill out."

"Oh come on, Kotori! I am totally pumped up for this! Rio, Shark, Cathy, and everyone else will be in this play, so it MUST be awesome! And I intend to show my support! Ka-"

"Oh, hush up, will you? I can hardly hear myself think with your yapping!"

Yuma wheeled around. "Kaito! What are you doing here?"

"Wishing I didn't have to drag them with me." Kaito growled, jerking his thumb at the people seated next to him.

Kotori did a double take. "Durbe? Misael? Guys? What on Earth are you doing here?"

"We were compelled to come, in order to show our support for our friends, and our former leaders!" Durbe loftily replied.

"In other words, Rio threatened us into coming." Misael grumbled. "How is it she can intimidate us into these things?"

"No idea." Gilag said through a mouthful of popcorn.

"Shhh! The play's starting!" Kotori hissed. They all turned around as a hush fell over the audience.

Ukyo-sensei walked onto the stage. "Konichiwa, minna-sama! Welcome to the school's winter play! I certainly hope you all enjoy yourselves tonight!"

"First off, I would like to say how very proud I am of our students. They worked really hard on this, particularly the writer of this play! Ladies and gentlemen, our very own Vector!"

"VECTOR?!" Came the scream of every student of Heartland Academy as Vector walked out onto the stage.

"How in the name of Barian World did he get to write the play?" Alit whispered. "Shouldn't they know better by now?"

"I fear for their lives." Kaito murmured. Everyone else nodded as Vector spoke up.

"Wow! Thank you all for coming tonight! I am so touched! This is my first time producing a play, and I really hope you all like it!" Vector squealed in his "Rei" voice.

All the parents awed and clapped, while the students said silent prayers for the cast.

"The play is about a faraway country with a crazy queen and her subjects. This is actually a folktale in South America that I found, and I thought it would appeal to some of our students here in the Academy!"

As he said this, Vector threw an innocent look in the direction of the former Barian Emperors, who gulped.

"The cast worked really hard to pull this one out, and I am super pleased with their work! So, without further ado, I give you The Devil's Daughter!"

"Oh, my gosh." Kotori whimpered, hiding her head in her hands as the curtain rose up. "I don't even want to look."

This was going to be the scariest play anyone had ever seen.

* * *

_**Disclaimer: YuGiOh! Zexal and all regular characters seen are property of the brilliant Kazuki Takahashi. This is simply a story from a silly girl's imagination.**_

_**Tali: You are probably staring at this going "What the heck is going on here? What have I just seen?" Don't worry, everything will become clear in the next few chapters!**_

_**Zexal: Just to be clear, this will from here on out be in the play as it was written. This is an introduction, of sorts.**_

_**Drexal: Oh, boy, what are you going to do to them, Tali-chan?**_

_**Tali: That is for me to know and you to guess at! Anyways, please leave a review, but take it easy if you have to flame! This is my first fanfiction, and I am still pretty new. But if you must flame, go right ahead. Just, kinda keep it to a minimum, yes?**_

_**Vector: Yeah, don't make her stop! Then my play will never get off the ground! And I have such a good plan, hehehe . . .**_

_**Tali: Yes, do not discourage us from our plan! (laughs crazily)**_

_**Drexal: You two scare me sometimes.**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Act I, Scene I**_

_**Once, in a time too ancient to be remembered by the modern human, there lived a young kingdom called the United Diamond Lands. It had once been a series of minor kingdoms, but the ruler, at the start of their reign, had ruthlessly conquered them, slaying their royals and pilfering all of their gold and silver.**_

_**The ruler of these lands was a fiery little lady of the age of seventeen. Some might have once called the Queen beautiful; indeed, everyone in the kingdom had to admit that, with that dark red hair, purple eyes flecked with pearl, creamy white skin, and considerable height, she was quite the looker. These traits were long paled since the Queen ascended the throne.**_

_**The Queen was selfish, vain, cruel, and unbelievably self-centered. Many even doubted her sanity. She was harsh to her loyal servants, and enslaved most of the lands to do her dirty work. The entire kingdom was in poverty, and there was rarely enough food for anyone. Life was unbearable for all but the Queen, who was surrounded by most of the kingdom's wealth and servants who would wait on her hand and foot, day and night.**_

_**The kingdom had reached the last straw. Their army was abused, their countrymen enslaved, and their homes lay in decimated ruins. They had sworn that, one day, they would deliver to the Queen their vengeance.**_

_**And, lo and behold, that day was coming very, very soon.**_

* * *

_Emilia finally stood and wiped at the layers of grime that constantly coated her forehead. She stepped back, trying to see if the statue she had been ordered to clean had no further specks. If it did, she would get no dinner._

_The statue gleamed in the sunlight, a new craft from the Queen's friend overseas. As always, it detailed Her Royal And All Powerful Majesty The Queen with the most beautiful clothes, and in the most vivid of colors. The Queen loved any pretty thing, which necessitated a great many statues of herself to be erected all around her kingdom, since she was the self-proclaimed "jewel of the kingdom."_

_Every time she said those words, Emilia wanted to gag._

_Satisfied that her work was done, she gathered up the tools that had littered the palace courtyard for the past hour. Normally, Emilia greatly cherished any time alone in the courtyard. The most beautiful flowers often climbed the walls, drawing many small woodland creatures, and the five fountains that circled the center danced in daylight, sending shimmering rainbows overhead. It was peaceful, something scarce in the kingdom nowadays._

_But today was no ordinary day. The Queen was coming home from her visit to one of the neighboring kingdoms._

_Emilia scurried through her sanctuary, straining her ears to listen for the sound of an approaching horse. If the Queen caught her here, then she would get no dinner for the rest of the month!_

_There was no baying of horses, though, and Emilia sighed in relief. She opened the servant's doorway and headed down the damp, narrow passageway to the shed where most of the tools had been shoved, in an effort to appease the Queen's wishes for no "dirty servant materials" to litter the castle._

_Putting her things in an empty corner, Emilia stood up, and caught her reflection in a looking glass used for searching for dust. Her long indigo hair, which hung to her waist, was matted and glued together by sweat and dirt. Her pale skin was sickly and tinged gray from dust, and her gray, blue -flecked eyes looked dead and void._

_Emilia sighed. She needed a bath. Perhaps the Queen, upon seeing the statue, would let her._

_Trumpets badly out of tune screeched out front, causing Emilia to jump. "Oh, darn." She gasped, hurtling back the way she had come. "I cannot be late!"_

_She bolted out the opening and joined the ranks of servants who had spilled out of the castle at the blaring of the pitchy instruments. The crowd peered in the direction of the large golden doors, not so eagerly awaiting the return of the Queen._

_Finally the doors cracked open, admitting a tall boy with dark, flushed skin and brown curly hair. He marched to the right of the large golden doors and called out in a loud voice: "Fellow servants of the castle of the United Diamond Kingdom! I present to thee, our shining jewel, our pride and joy, the One Who Is Most Beautiful And Merciful, She Who Holds The Titles Of Fairest In The World, Shining Goddess Of Radiance, A-"_

_While he was prattling on, a pair of guards came up and began to pry open the heavy golden doors._

_"-She Who Is Of The League Of Our Gods, The Proud Daughter Of The Late King WAAAUUUUGGHH!"_

_The guards had succeeded in opening the doors, and they came crashing open, smacking the poor boy in the stomach and sending him tumbling into the ground._

_Emilia hid her smirk in her hands. 'Oh, poor Billy.' She thought, struggling to keep from giggling._

_The fanfare started up again, accompanying an iron-wrought carriage through the entrance. A legion of knights trotted in formation behind the carriage._

_The knights all lined up as the carriage stopped just in front of the twin staircases that led to the castle's main entrance, dubbed the "Front Door" by the servants. Everyone stood to attention as the red carpet was unrolled and the cages of turtle doves set into position on either side._

_On the other side of the crowd, Billy raised his head. "The Queen of The United Diamond Lands, Queen Anna Maria Adelaide Melissa III!" He shouted, before falling, unconscious, back to the ground._

_The carriage doors opened and the doves were released, hailing the entrance of the Queen._

_"Hello, my loyal subjects!" Came the high-pitched trill of Queen Anna. She was in an enormous gown she probably got from a new admirer. Her face was dolled up to the point where she resembled a tiny, porcelain doll. Her eyes held what might have resembled kindness, but nary a one single soul in the crowd were fooled. They knew she was wondering who had messed up what chore, and who had been good._

_"Now, my dears, I have an announcement to make!" Queen Anna squealed, standing on the steps of the carriage to accentuate her height._

_"I, your beloved Queen, met a wealthy, young, strikingly handsome King whilst overseas. The wonderful man pulled a few strings, and in but a few short weeks, we are to be wed! My subjects, you are very soon to have a king!"_

_There was silence for exactly three milliseconds. Then the captive audience of bedraggled servants cheered like there was no tomorrow, and Emilia along with them._

_"A new ruler in the kingdom?" Emilia murmured, her spirits soaring higher than the Queen's ego. A King in the land could pull the kingdom out of poverty! Rebuild it to the former splendor it once was! Maybe even end slavery!_

_It was pointless to hope like this. Emilia knew for a fact that their Queen was overbearing, petulant, entitled, and everything in between, and she drove suitors away on a daily basis. And, remembering their deal, __it was more than likely that she would chase off this one, too._

_But for now, Emilia would believe that there was hope for her people. _

* * *

_"Emmy! Emmy, Emmy, Emmy! EMMY!"_

_"EEEEEEK!"_

_Emilia squealed as a strong pair of arms clamped around her from behind, forcing her to drop the knife and the potato she had been peeling._

_The person spun her around. "Can you believe it?" Billy squeaked. "Well, Emmy? Huh? Can you, can you, can you? HUH, HUH, HUH?!"_

_Emilia had to smirk. Even when mildly concussed, Billy had the personality of a bouncy puppy._

_"Okay, Billy! I, as well as the rest of the kingdom, heard you." Emilia laughed. "And no, I cannot believe it! A new ruler!"_

_"Woohooo! There may be hope for us yet!" Billy crowed, dancing around the tiny, abandoned kitchen that Emilia slept in. She watched him celebrate, giving a mental sigh of defeat. 'Oh, Billy. I wish you would stop hoping. Then maybe your heart will not break as hard after.' Emilia sadly thought._

_A timid knock sounded on the door. Immediately, Billy screeched to a halt and stood to attention. Emilia kicked the pile of blankets she had pilfered to sleep on out of sight before copying Billy's actions. "Come in." She called formally._

_The door creaked open, admitting a tall willowy girl with gossamer, light-blue hair, and storm cloud gray eyes. She was dressed in soft skirts often seen worn by peasants, and was the image of innocence. The only thing that ruined this image was the diamond sword that hung in a scabbard at her waist, a symbol of a knight of the royal court._

_"CORDELIA!"_

_Emilia and Billy simultaneously cried out, wrapping their childhood friend in a hug._

_Cordelia laughed. "Good to see you too!"_

_The three friends let go of each other and laughed. It had been so long since they had last seen one another!_

_"Hey, Em! How are you?" Cordelia asked. "The wicked witch of the west been good to you?"_

_"Is she ever good to anyone?" Emilia retorted, and the two girls shrieked with their impersonations of the Queen's ridiculous, bubbling laughter._

_"Billy, my man! How are you? How's your head?" Cordelia said, indicating the bandage covering Billy's head._

_"Could be worse." Billy said. "The hallucinations wore off an hour ago!"_

_"And you bounced back this quickly?" Cordelia chuckled fondly. "You always did have a thick skull."_

_"And how have you been, Delia?" Emilia asked. "Oh fine!" Cordelia replied. She launched into a tale of her travels as the princess' honor guard, both of the women ignoring Billy's indignant muttering._

_"So, have you met the future King?" Billy pried. "Well, Dels? Have you, have you, HAVE YOU?"_

_Cordelia laughed. "Yes, I have met the future King! And he is quite wonderful to his kingdom. Although, in court, I daresay he is quite crazy! Heavens, the man thinks that in the future, there will be these things made of metal and powered by steam that do not require any horses!"_

_Emilia giggled, trying to ignore the pangs of guilt in her heart. "He is perfect for our Queen!"_

_Suddenly, Cordelia turned to Emilia, all businesslike. "Em, I actually came on the Queen's orders. She's sent for you."_

_Emilia fought back a groan of exasperation. "Why does she want to see me at this ungodly hour of the night?"_

_"She wouldn't say." Cordelia mumbled, staring at the ground._

_Emilia nodded and threw open the door to her room, wondering what the Queen of Insanity wanted from her now. _

* * *

_Emilia entered the Queen's room unbidden, having gotten no response when she knocked. The girl threw up her hand to shield up her eyes from the numerous mirrors and precious metals that were thrown carelessly around the room, which threw blinding fragments of light into the eyes of the unprepared._

_When her eyes had grown accustomed to the overall shine of the room, she began to navigate her way through the enormous piles of precious gems, metals, mirrors, dresses, shoes, and everything else that the Queen insisted were there for décor, and would not allow any of the servants to clean._

_The only reason they obeyed was because of their secret hope that the Queen would get lost in there and never be seen again._

_Finally breaking free of the Maze of Absolute Gorgeous Death (the servants prided themselves on their creative word choice), Emilia reached the washroom, where high-pitched squeals had been emanating. Emilia guessed it was the middle of the Queen's ten o'clock beauty session._

_"Come in!" A pitchy voice wailed._

_Emilia winced before obeying. She entered the washroom to find the Queen, in her nightclothes and sobbing by the washing basin._

_"My Queen?" Emilia asked, cautiously approaching the wailing, spoiled girl. "What is of issue?"_

_"OH, IT IS A DISASTER!" Queen Anna shrieked, flinging her arms up in the air. "There will be a royal ball in a week to announce my engagement to the King of the Sparrow's Isles, and my own filthy, vile servants insist on dishonoring me by stealing my finest broaches and then LYING ABOUT IT LIKE THE STUPID COMMONERS THEY ARE!"_

_Emilia bit her lip to keep from shrieking right back at her._

_"Your Graciousness, we should not jump to conclusions so quickly! Perhaps they are still being shined!" 'Or, maybe lost in your trashy room with about five thousand other stupid objects you blamed us for?' Emilia mentally added._

_"No, no no. It is very clear to me what is going on here." Queen Anna sniffed. "The servants hate me! They do not like me at all! EVERYONE HATES ME!"_

_And with that, the Queen buried her head in her hands and began to sob with harsh, babyish wails._

_Emilia mentally kicked herself. Why had she not calmed Anna down sooner?! This could only mean one thing._

_"I must simply have them all hanged! Then I will hire servants more-"_

_"I will work off their debt until the wedding!"_

_Queen Anna ceased her fit and looked up. "Huh?"_

_Emilia gave the speech she had had to give a million times. "I will vouch for them, and work off their debts until my most Humble and Beautiful Queen is wed."_

_Emilia winced in regret as soon as she heard the words fly out of her mouth. It was just a wretched test of the Queen to ensure Emilia's loyalty, and to see if Emilia would object! All Anna wanted was to have less mouths to have to feed! That was all!_

_"Oh, thank you, my sweet Emmy!" Anna crowed. "It is so nice that I have at least ONE friend in this place!"_

_Anna leaned forward in a sly manner. "But, my dear girl, don't think I have forgotten our deal. You may be getting a new King, but you nasty peasants shall not be getting back your kingdom! I will never let you take this hideous dump back to its former glory, you hear?"_

_"Yes, my Queen." Emilia whispered, lowering her head in misery._

_"Good!" Anna squeaked, back to her usual personality: bubbly and ridiculously childish. "Now, you may have your dinner tonight, granted you finish your chores."_

_Emilia sighed. "Yes, my Queen." _

* * *

_Emilia ran through the hallways, fighting the urge to scream. It would not do to anger the Queen in her current state._

_'None of this is fair.' Emilia thought as she entered her bedroom. 'That awful she-witch is positively horrifying! How dare she torture the servants with a promise of hope, when all she plans to do is take it away from them!'_

_Emilia sat on her pilfered pile of raggedy blankets and rested her head against the wall. A wave of sadness overcame her._

_'Oh, Father. If only I could have been more like you.' Emilia thought with a sigh._

_Then she reached for her half-peeled potato. She still had chores to do. _

* * *

"Wow." Kotori stared at the stage. "Never in all of my years did I expect Vector, of all living beings, to have a soul like this! How about you, Yuma . . .Yuma?"

Yuma was sniffling into a tissue. "Oh, poor (sniff) Saichi! I can't (sniff) believe that lousy old Sei had to be so mean to her!" Yuma buried his face into the disgusting tissue and started to cry again.

"What a baby." Misael sniffed. "Well, I admit, Sei did a magnificent job acting like a crazy queen, and Saichi is portraying the servant girl rather spectacularly. This play is actually not so bad!"

"I personally liked Rio as that knight lady." Durbe said. "And I am rather impressed how Vector got Takashi to act like that!"

Alit was also in hysterics. "I-it was j-j-just so S-SAD-D!" He whimpered. Gilag patted his back reassuringly.

Kaito was deep in thought. "This story sounds familiar. Hmm . . ."

* * *

_**Disclaimer: YuGiOh! Zexal, as well as YuGiOh! itself, belong to Shin Yoshida and Kazuki Takahashi, respectively. This is the work of a crazed fan.**_

_**Thanks to Zexallover, Anonymous, and Guest for the reviews on Chapter One! **_

_**Drexal: Allow me to introduce Queen Anna, played by Sei, Cordelia, played by Rio, Billy, played by Takashi, and the lovely Emilia, played by Saichi. Hopefully this should clear up the responses of our good friends in the audience.**_

_**Tali: I have a feeling that a few people were expecting something completely nuts right off the bat. Do not fear, people, that is coming very, very soon! Particularly to a certain someone out in the audience!**_

_**Zexal: (chuckles) I cannot wait to see the look on their faces!**_

_**Drexal: I can! Tali-chan, I cannot believe you seriously want-mmmph!**_

_**Zexal: (covers Drexal's mouth) Tali-chan, anything else you want to add?**_

_**Tali: Actually, yes! Thank you to those awesome people out there who read and reviewed this! I was so happy when I read those reviews! I hope you all enjoy this chapter, and the ones that follow! Please leave a review!**_


	3. Chapter 3

**Scene II**

_"Oooh, my back." Billy groaned, flopping backwards onto a bale of hay, one of many that were stacked in the old barn. "I really don't see why we have to make this much fuss over a stuffy old king."_

_"Hey! If anything, we did more work than you did!" Cordelia snapped, throwing a handful of hay at the lazy herald. " We girls were carrying the granite statues on our backs while YOU were sitting down snacking on stolen sugar cane from the kitchens!"_

_Billy's mouth opened and closed in defeat._

_Emilia watched their bickering with interest. It was astonishing, really, how close the two were and how badly they could fight._

_It had been a week since the news of the engagement, and the kingdom had gone into overtime to prepare for it. The citizens had been tidying like crazy, as had the castle staff. The chefs were baking nonstop, whipping up delightful sweets for the ball. Everyone had a job to do, leaving no time to decorate the ballroom._

_So, naturally, the Queen had called for her three "most trustworthy" servants to handle the beautification process in their spare time._

_"Why does the Queen need fifty granite statues of herself for the ball?" Emilia grumbled. "I thought she was trying to present herself as selfless and kind for visiting allies."_

_"Apparently, it is the latest "trend," as they call it now." Cordelia sighed._

_The three rolled their eyes._

_"Emilia! Billy! Cordelia!"_

_Quicker than one could bat an eye, the servants were up and running, gathering the items they were sent to fetch from the barn, and bolted off to the castle. _

* * *

_The doors to the ballroom crashed open as Emilia, Billy, and Cordelia poured inside._

_"Aah, if it isn't the Three Stooges!"_

_The condescending words belonged to none other than Brume Noire, the Queen's favorite and most faithful servant. He had come from a distant nation far across the seas, and, as such, had the strangest of accents. He had spiky black hair and pale skin tattooed with red markings._

_Brume also had the personality of a snake. It was second nature of the kingdom to say he and the Queen deserved each other._

_Emilia sighed. "Bonjour, Brume. And who are the Three Stooges?"_

_Brume snorted. "Some ridiculous nonsense spouted by our idealistic future king. A pity she chose him. I always thought we had quite the relationship going."_

_"Him and everyone else in the kingdom." Billy muttered to himself._

_"I come with orders from our illustrious Queen." Brume warbled. "She says that after you have finished with the ballroom, you may prepare yourselves for your duties tonight. Delia shall be guarding the north entrance, Bill here shall be announcing the guests, and YOU, Emmy darling, will be serving the entrees. Is that quite clear?"_

_"Oui, monsieur." Emilia grumbled._

_"Excellent! Now, I must be going! Queen Anna's outfit is not going to floof itself!"_

_And off he went, mumbling to himself about dress lengths. The three friends stared after him. "What a strange man." They said in unison. _

* * *

_"Oh, my dear! The ballroom looks so beautiful tonight!" Gushed the Queen of Spain._

_"Oh thank you so much!" Queen Anna trilled. "I just knew you'd love it! Why, my servants were all disapproving and whatnot, but I just had to take some part in it! And I picked the colors myself!"_

_Emilia huffed and rolled her eyes. She had served under Queen Anna for nine years, but she never would adjust to the Queen taking credit for the work of the servants._

_The ballroom did look beautiful, there was no denying that. Colorful banners draped the walls, and statues of Her Most Beautiful Majesty were placed strategically between pillars of pure gold. The center of the room was shining, inlaid with jewels that shone with an intensity to rival the sun itself, and the glass roof showed the starry sky in full glory._

_Emilia smiled in spite of herself. She was clean for the first time in forever and wearing her nicest black dress. If only she had not been carrying around the platter of sandwiches, it would have felt like she was a guest herself! _

* * *

_Billy was really bored._

_He was waiting at the grand entrance to the ballroom, supposedly attentively watching for another guest to arrive, when in reality he was staring off into space._

_Billy so hated his job at balls. At least Delia and Emmy got to mingle! HE was stuck in one position for the ENTIRE DARN NIGHT. And there was nothing he could do about it._

_"Excuse me-AARRRGH!"_

_Billy turned around just in time to see a girl falling down the steps. Thinking quickly, he threw himself forward and caught her without a second to spare._

_"Are you okay, miss . . . ?" He trailed off when he saw whom he had caught._

_The young lady was tiny, just reaching up to his shoulders. She had the most perfect, dawn pink hair and fine green eyes, like twin emeralds. Her dress was a shade of green that perfectly matched her eyes and tucked behind her hair was a soft pink rose._

_Billy didn't care if he was yelled at for staring. Heck, he didn't even care if he was drooling at this point. He was staring at the face of an angel._

_"M-my apolog-gies, monsieur." The lady murmured. "I fear I am quite clumsy in dresses." Something must have been wrong, for she was staring at him intently._

_Somehow, in the abyss that was love at first sight, Billy found his voice. "That is quite alright, mademoiselle. Might I inquire about your name?"_

_"Oh!" She jumped out of Billy's arms and straightened her gown. "I am Queen Rosalinda Rhoda Riley of France." Queen Rosalinda blushed. "And what is your name?"_

_Billy blinked. "Uh . . . Billy of the United Diamond Kingdom, you Highness."_

_Suddenly, all in a rush, Billy remembered his job. Turning to the crowd of milling royals, Billy held up his hand. "Honored Guests, I present to you Her Majesty Queen Rosalinda of France!"_

_There was a light scattering of applause. Queen Anna cried out in delight. "Rosalinda, darling! Oh, you simply must come join us!"_

_Queen Rosalinda smiled. "I shall join you in a second, mademoiselle!"_

_She turned to Billy. "Thank you for catching me." She whispered, pressing a quick kiss to Billy's cheek. "Oh, and please, do call me Rosie."_

_She smiled and walked into the oblivious crowd below, leaving a frozen Billy gawking after her._

_He put his hand to his cheek and grinned. "Rosie." He mumbled, blushing. "I shall hope to see you again soon." _

* * *

_Cordelia smiled to herself, watching the gathered royals talk and dance and eat. It was honestly quite amusing, watching the pampered fools conversing about politics, new fashions, or simply share the latest gossip._

_It was too bad. If they spoke more often to their lower classes, Cordelia knew some who might have been friends._

_Catching sight of Em in the crowd, Cordelia waved happily. Em waved back. Cordelia tugged at the neck of her armor, the overall stuffiness of her forced attire grinding on her last nerve. Em gave an apologetic shrug, but her mouth was set in a sly grin._

_Em suddenly pointed to the front of the magnificent room, towards Billy's station, the sly grin still set on her face. Cordelia looked over, confused._

_Wait . . . what was wrong with Billy? The boy was standing in one place, a goofy grin on his face. Cordelia squinted. No, not goofy. It looked more like . . ._

_Uh oh. Love struck._

_Cordelia doubled over, struggling to contain laughter. Oh goodness. Billy was in love?! She bit her lip. Oh, the poor boy._

_"Well, Lady Knight, I am glad to see you are taking your job seriously."_

_Cordelia straightened up. "Monsieur Brume. And who is your friend there?"_

_Indeed, the snake was accompanied by a hooded figure, who gave her a polite nod._

_"This is a friend of Queen Anna's. He wishes to make a grand entrance to impress our majestic Queen, his future wife." Brume said, winking at the lady knight._

_Cordelia blinked. Could this stranger be . . . ?_

_"Now come, my good man! We have things to be doing!"_

_And with that, Brume began to lead the cloaked man away._

_"Oh, wait! Lady Knight!" The hooded man called out. When Cordelia turned around, he continued. "I must say your sword is remarkable! Such an elegant style, and so befitting for such a lovely lady!"_

_"However, I must say with some sadness that in a mere matter of millennia, such weapons will be nearly extinct, and replaced with machines that can fire shells faster than any cannon. Pity. Those things are hideous."_

_Finished with his statement, the hooded figure turned around and strode off, followed by a baffled Brume. Cordelia stared after them, her eyebrows raised._

_'Dear me.' She thought. 'What is wrong with that man?' _

* * *

_"Why, thank you, my fair lady!"_

_Emilia gave a swift bow to the Duke of Sandwich. "It is my pleasure, my lord."_

_He nodded and trotted off. Immediately, Emilia gagged. When was the last time the man had bathed, for crying out loud?_

_"Ladies and gentlemen!" Came Brume's voice, tempered to a polite drawl. Every royal and noble turned to him as he continued. "It is my greatest and utmost pleasure to introduce to you, the great and powerful King Yu!"_

_The audience gasped as the hooded figure stepped into the light_ _and swept off his hood, leaving a shell-shocked Emilia to stare at the most extravagant hairdo she swore she had ever seen._

_The man's hair was mainly black and tufted up into seven spikes. These seven spikes were outlined by a thin orange-gold streak and streaked through the middle with dark red. In front, he had two magenta tufts of hair that stood up in a cowlick a number of inches tall, and off to the sides he had two dark brown bangs that fell just shy of the bottoms of his ears._

_"Thank you!" King Yu called to the crowd, who had applauded like nothing was odd about the man. "I am so delighted to be here! And, my dear friends, I have an announcement to make on this fine evening!"_

_"You see, I am now engaged to the most wonderful woman in the world! She is the crown jewel of all of the lands, the kindest and most wonderful of all beings"- Emilia could hear Queen Anna's ego inflating all the way from the back of the crowd –"and I cannot imagine life without her."_

_His lime green eyes searched the crowd wonderingly, perhaps searching for the girl he so clearly favored._

_"Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you-"_

_Everyone in the room held their breaths._

_"-my fiancé and future queen of The Sparrows Isles-"_

_Emilia leaned forward. It was the moment of truth._

_"-Queen Victoria of Spain!"_

_The crowd gasped and held silent for what seemed like hours, surprisingly shocked into silence at his statement._

_Emilia blinked. "So, he really is getting married to Queen Victoria-"_

_Wait, WHAT?!_

_A girl with green hair and red eyes cried out in joy in the crowd. She shoved her way through the crowd and jumped into the waiting arms of King Yu, who slung her over backwards for a long kiss._

_The crowd burst into cheers with the men wolf-whistling and the women giggling and crying from the sweetness of the sappy lovers. Emilia could care less about what the crowd was doing. While the foolish nobilities was squealing about the happy couple, the pale servant was more worried about the supposed hostess fiancé. She had to find the Queen!_

_Finally, Emilia found the Queen. She was standing completely still and was, for once, utterly silent. When those around her started to notice her shock, she assumed a happy face and clapped with the rest of the crowd. Only Emilia saw the glint of rage in her eyes._

_Emilia caught Cordelia's eyes from across the room. Her old friend, who had never been one to show fear, had terror writte_n _all across her face. Then she looked over at Billy, who had apparently snapped out of his love-induced daze to see the events in the crowd. He too looked horrified._

_The three friends were scared for the future. Their Queen was going to have her revenge._

_No matter what the cost. _

* * *

_"I thought King Yu was to be mine, but no, it was not to be. He shall pay, pay with his LIFE."_

_Queen Anna slammed her fist onto the war table. Cordelia gulped, watching her Queen rage at the emergency war meeting._

_"I henceforth declare war on the Sparrows Isles! Delia, mobilize our forces! You shall leave first thing tomorrow morn . . . zzzz . . ."_

_The Queen slumped forward on her throne, mashing her head against the table. She started to snore, a waterfall of drool rushing out of her mouth and covering the war table._

_Typical. This was ultimately the result of a hurried one-on-one war council with her Queen at three in the morning after all of the party guests had gone home: rancid saliva spread over the oak war table._

_For once, though, Cordelia paid no mind to Queen Anna's habit. If the Queen waged war against King Yu, their battered army was sure to be crushed. The whole kingdom was so deep in poverty they could barely scrape any sort of living. If this mad, senseless play of the Queen was to draw out, it would surely crush the kingdom._

_Cordelia watched the sleeping girl for a few more minutes. It was so strange. She used to be the best of friends with the Queen when she was younger, and she was always so kind! How on earth had she turned into this?_

_The lady knight sighed and left the room. She had to tell Billy and Emmy about this. _

* * *

"You know something?" Yuma mumbled. "I really like that King Yu guy!"

"Gee, I wonder why." Kotori sighed.

The Barians were all staring at the stage with open mouths.

Kaito blinked. "Um . . . what's going on up there guys?"

"UNBELIEVABLE! WHAT WAS YU THINKING? HOW DARE HE TREAT A LADY THAT WAY!"

"Shhh!"

The Barians all shrank down in their seats as the audience hushed them. Meanwhile, Kaito, Kotori, and Yuma stared at the former Emperors for a solid minute, too shocked by their explosive outburst to do anything else.

"Sorry. Just got us mad, that's all." Misael grumbled. "Kaito, you remember where you've seen this before?"

"Working on it." The Number Hunter screwed his eyes shut. "Maybe I'll remember if I see more."

"Perhaps." Durbe agreed.

Yuma faced the stage. "I still really like that King Yu guy . . ."

* * *

_**Disclaimer: YuGiOh! Zexal and YuGiOh! itself are property of Shin Yoshida and Kazuki Takahashi respectively. This is a crazed fan's plot.**_

_**Thanks to Anonymous for the review and 90sboy for the favorite!**_

_**Drexal: Allow me to introduce Brume Noire, played by Tokunosuke, Rosie, played by Cathy, King Yu, played by Fuuya, and Victoria, played by Anna.**_

_**Vector: King Yu. He is exactly who you think he is.**_

_**Zexal: Tali-chan would like to issue a special challenge. Anyone who can both guess what language Brume Noire is, AND what it means, gets a one-shot of their OTP.**_

_**Tali: Yep! Now, I will be offering an explanation for King Yu's behavior in about one and a half chapters, never fear! In the meantime, please do review! I love constructive criticism, and actually do need it. (sweatdrops) Badly. Read, rate, review, and enjoy!**_


	4. Chapter 4

**Scene III**

_Emilia paced back and forth in her tiny room, stopped to look at the door, then started pacing again._

_'Gosh, Billy should have been back by now! Where the heck was he?'_

_Emilia's silent worries were quenched when Billy came crashing over the threshold._

_"The army has left, Emmy." Billy panted. "Delia was safe at the front."_

_Emilia nodded. "Excellent. And she knows what to do?"_

_Her old friend nodded. "Yes, she knows. When I reminded her, again she wacked me over the head with her helmet and told me to shut my yapper."_

_The pale servant chuckled. "Sounds just like our Delia." The pacing resumed._

_Billy blinked. "Emmy?"_

_No answer._

_"Em! Emmy, Emmy! Em? Emmy!"_

_Still nothing._

_Billy raised his voice._

_"EMILIA!"_

_"Yes, Billy?" Emilia stopped mid-stride to face her old friend once again._

_"Are you okay?"_

_"No. I fear I am not well." Emilia faced the wall. "Oh, Billy, what if something goes wrong? What if King Yu refuses to listen? What if our army falls? What if-" Emilia cut herself off, too frightened to speak the rest of the sentence._

_'What if Delia dies?'_

_The girl shuddered when she felt Billy's arms wrap around her. "Don't worry, Emmy." Billy said soothingly. "Your plans never fail, and our Delia is a clever warrior. I am certain everything will turn out fine."_

_Emilia nodded. "Yes. Thank you, Billy."_

_But she worried all the same. _

* * *

_Cordelia crawled through the bushes, praying to the gods of her father that an arrow would not shoot in her direction._

_"Ooh! When I get my hands on Em, right after I hug her, I will strangle her!" Cordelia vowed, flinching when she heard swords clanging near her position. "I should be on the front lines, not squirming like Brume through thorns!_

_The United Diamond Lands' army had snuck up on the Sparrows Isles in the middle of the night by boat, two days after they had left the castle. Currently, they were laying waste to a portside village, and Cordelia was unsure whether to be proud or ashamed th_at _her forces were advancing rapidly._

_Emilia had told her that, in order for this scatterbrained scheme she'd come up with at five in the morning to work, Cordelia must sneak through the rows of bushes that lined the little town, separating the houses and businesses._

_"OW!" Cordelia whisper-yelped, wincing as she yanked a barbed thorn out of her arm. Even her armor was proving useless against these vile branches._

_"First, I'm going to have a talk with the King about his choice of plants." The lady knight snarled, pulling herself forward. "Then, I am going to have a long heart-to-heart with Emmy about who she chooses to do her dirty work . . ." _

* * *

_"I promise . . . if I ever get the chance . . . I will make Anna carry these stinking statues herself . . . so SHE can know how it feels . . ." Billy panted._

_"And I as well." Emilia grunted. "And if she asks why, I'll give her the exact same speech she gave me! 'Honey, you're just built for hard labor' my foot! Uuugh!"_

_The two huffed and puffed up the stairs, tugging the last of the granite statues from the party with them._

_"Finally! Okay, that was the last staircase. Now we just need to get it down the hallway and then we're done."_

_Billy nodded. "Right. Oh man, am I gonna need a healer after this . . . Huh? Emmy?"_

_Emilia was staring off into space, her head tilted to one side._

_"Hey, Em? You in there? Emmy?"_

_The pale servant girl ignored him. She moved to the wall and dropped the statue – right onto Billy's foot._

_"AAAAAH!" Billy wailed, hopping on one foot. "Ow, ow, ow! Emmy, what was that for?"_

_"Shhh, Billy!" Emilia put her ear to the wall, listening intently._

_The herald limped over. "What is it?"_

_"I hear something . . . weird." Emilia listened for another minute. Then she moved to the opposite wall, where a dusty suit of armor was displayed._

_"I never knew why the builder of the castle did that." Billy remarked, watching as Emilia gave the armor a swift kick in the knee. The wall where Emilia had been listening cracked and trundled open._

_"I mean, why the suit of armor? Why not a torch holder? Or a sliding brick?" Billy continued, grabbing a torch from the wall._

_Emilia flashed a crooked grin. "Maybe he just wanted to be original. Now, hush, and follow me!" _

* * *

_"Why, why, why did I have to go along with Em and her stupid plan?!" Cordelia wailed, clinging frantically to the windowsill she was hanging from. "I could have passed it off to Billy, but, nooooo, I just had to offer first! Gah! I hate my inherited sense of loyalty!"_

_The lady knight was in quite the situation, indeed. The windowsill she was hanging from was on the top floor of King Yu's castle, which she had had to scale. Because, clearly, the invasion would require all guards at the front door to kill every United Diamond Land soldier, white flag or no._

_"When I get down from here, assuming I don't die," Cordelia screamed "I am going to kill Anna, strangle Emmy, and smack Billy for the sheer heck of it!"_

_Cordelia gasped in panic, horrified when she saw the window start to open._

_"Please don't be another chamber pot, please don't be another chamber pot . . ." Cordelia begged._

_"Yes, my love, the view from here is wonderful- GAAAH!"_

_The window had opened fully now, revealing a shocked King Yu. Codelia had never been so relieved to see such a ridiculous hairstyle in all her nineteen years of life._

_"You are the lady knight from the party! What are you doing up here . . . and why do you smell like-?"_

_"Yes, yes, your Majesty, I am aware of what I smell like." Cordelia rolled her eyes. "Now, I beg of his most merciful highness with the highest of all gratitude, could you please lift me into the tower before I FALL AND DIE?!"_

_King Yu blinked. "Oh right, of course!" He grasped Cordelia's arms and, with a great deal of huffing, puffing, and curses, hauled her into the room._

_"YEEEEEEEK!" A high-pitched voice screeched as Cordelia crashed to the floor of the tower. "WHAT IS SHE DOING HERE?"_

_"Now, now, darling! I just found her dangling from the side of the tower." King Yu reasoned. "So I did the obvious thing and pulled her up."_

_A pause. "Oh, well, that makes sense." Hands gripped the stunned lady knight and helped her to her feet._

_"Oh, you poor dear!" Cordelia blinked and looked up into the kind face of Queen Victoria. "What on Earth happened? And eeugh-" She wrinkled her nose "-why do you smell like-?"_

_"Okay, can we just move on from that part!" Cordelia yelled. She took a slow step forward and tried to get her bearings._

_The top part of the tower was decorated in perfect shades of dawn and rose, and had lily soft salmon curtains draped strategically around the room. A solid gold four poster bed with a swooping hot pink canopy was plopped in the middle of the floor, which was littered with flower petals and heart-shaped pillows. And lining the edges of the room were life-sized unicorns in every color of the rainbow._

_(Author's Note: In other words, my interpretation of what a six-year-old Barbie's bedroom would look like.)_

_"My, what lovely, um, decorations you have?" Cordelia tried, fighting to adjust to the overall pinkness of the room._

_"I know, right? I decorated it myself!" King Yu gloated. Queen Victoria facepalmed._

_"Ah." 'Good grief, this room is almost as nuts as Anna.' Cordelia mentally added. "May I speak with you both, please?"_

_"Of course, dear!" Queen Victoria cried. "It must have been important for you to climb all the way up here!"_

_"Yes! Oh, where are my manners!" King Yu joined in. "Take a seat, lady knight! Pick any unicorn you want!"_

_Cordelia eyed the unicorns that surrounded the three. "Sir, do I absolutely have to?" _

* * *

_"Emmy, it's cold down here!" Emilia resisted the urge to strangle the whiny herald as they continued down the secret passage._

_"And it's dark. And gross. And a breeding ground for nasty things! Like rats and weasels!"_

_"Will you shut-wait, weasels? What gave you that-?"_

_"I know what I said."_

_"Finally!" Emilia stopped in front of a circular doorway. Carefully, she pushed it slightly ajar._

_"And are you certain this is the way to do it?"_

_The servants froze. "That is the Queen!" Billy squeaked._

_"Shh." Emilia put a finger to her lips. They both leaned closer to the opening._

_"For the millionth time, YES." A male voice answered, exasperated. "By causing chaos in the kingdoms, you have all but guaranteed their end!"_

_The two servants blinked. HUH?!_

_"Then, with your help, our armies shall decimate the lands, and we will finally rule over the world!"_

_"Aah, my twin sister, everything has fallen into place! I have so longed for the time when we shall rule together, as brother and sister, once again!"_

_Emilia slid the door shut, looking stricken. No one spoke for a matter of seconds._

_"Sooo . . ." Billy broke the silence. "I guess this means we're not gonna get a better king?"_

_Emilia looked at him. _

* * *

_"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU WERE ENGAGED TO ANNA?!"_

_"Now, darling, please, there must be just some misunderstanding! I was never engaged to Anna! I only ever met with you! HELP ME LADY KNIGHT!"_

_Cordelia did no such thing, watching amusedly as the king tried to explain himself to his rampaging fiancé._

_"But, Lady Cordelia, there must be some mistake! I never even met with Anna about a marriage contract, I only met with my beautiful shining goddess here! I never even saw her!"_

_Victoria blinked. "Huh? Then why was she so mad when you announced your engagement to me?"_

_"Because it was a trick." Cordelia grimly realized. "She needed an excuse to dispatch of all her countrymen; now she's got one."_

_Silence._

_King Yu scoffed. "Don't be ridiculous, my dear! Queen Anna is surely not that vicious-"_

_"Yes she is." Cordelia murmured. "Just ask any of my people. Or, better yet, my army!"_

_"And who sent you to tell us this?" Victoria asked._

_"My servant friend, K, Emilia."_

_Yu frowned. "K? What kind of a last name is that?"_

_The lady knight shrugged. "She prefers that we do not know her last name."_

_"I see." The king appeared to be deep in thought. "And was your friend born in your kingdom?"_

_"No. She was taken hostage when Anna took over the lands that make up our kingdom now."_

_"Ah." Yu did not look convinced. "I sense that there is more you came to tell us."_

_Cordelia sighed. "Yes. Emilia asked me to tell you her plan."_

_Both rulers sat silent while Cordelia explained clever Emmy's plan._

_"And that is why we need your help." Cordelia finished, watching the two expectantly._

_"Of course." King Yu nodded. "Yes, yes. We will absolutely help."_

_"I am not of much use, but I could contact my father in the east . . ." Victoria mused._

_Cordelia blinked back tears and bowed low to the King and Queen. "Thank you. Thank you. Thank you."_

_"Anything, my dear." The king smiled. "Now, we must get you back to your army. No, no! Not out the window again! Good Heavens, no! There is a secret passage out that way! Use that, please!"_

_The lady knight nodded. "Yes. Thank you."_

_The two rulers watched the willowy girl disappear before they dared to speak again._

_"The poor dears over in her kingdom." Victoria simpered. "I would die if I was in their position!"_

_Yu remained silent, thinking hard._

_"I wonder about that girl the lady knight was talking about."_

_"Why?" Victoria asked._

_"She sounds like someone I knew a very long time ago, whom I thought was to be very different . . ." _

* * *

'_Whew! Thank the stars King Yu pointed out that passageway to me!' Cordelia gave a sigh of relief as she reached the battlefield._

_A soldier approached. "Lady Knight, we are holding our lines well enough and our supplies have not been touched."_

_"Excellent." Cordelia nodded. "Direct more troops to where our chinks are weakest, and-oof!"_

_Something hard hit her head from behind, knocking Cordelia onto her knees. The pain swept her away and the last thing she saw was the frightened face of the soldier, screaming for a healer. _

* * *

"Kaito, Kaito! It is just an act! She's fine, please! Calm down!" A terrified Kotori whimpered while Kaito fought to free himself from Yuma's grasp.

"Have to – see if- she is- all right!" the Number Hunter growled straining against the surprisingly persistent duelist.

"Man, you need to chill!" Yuma huffed.

The former Barian Emperors were having a similar problem with Durbe. It took Gilag pinning him to his seat to keep the brilliant man down.

"Durbe, snap out of it! For Don Thousand's sake, it is just a play!" Misael whisper-yelled.

"Wow, I had no idea that this was going to happen!" Alit whispered, in awe at the sight before him. "They must really like Rio!"

They both froze, cheeks blood red. Yuma and the others gaped at them. Kotori sighed and turned back to the stage.

"Well," the girl sighed, helping herself to some popcorn "I guess things can't possibly get much worse now!"

* * *

_**Disclaimer: YuGiOh! and YuGiOh! ZEXAL are the properties of Kazuki Takahashi and Shin Yoshida respectively. This is a work of a crazy fan.**_

_**Thanks to The Fresh Prince of BANANAS for the review and Sapphirestream for the follow!**_

_**Zexal: Congrats to a Miss The Fresh Prince of BANANAS, you win! Tell Tali-chan what your OTP is, and she will write a brief oneshot about it!**_

_**Tali: Yep! (sneezes)**_

_**Drexal: I am sorry that my creator has been unavailable. She has been ill and has had a lot of school things to deal with. But she's back now.**_

_**Tali: I hope everyone enjoys this new chapter!**_


	5. Chapter 5

**Scene IV**

_"YOU WILL LET US IN THIS VERY MOMENT."_

_"I am sorry, Emmy, but you and Billy are not allowed to be in here-"_

_"LET US IN. NOW."_

_"B-But Emmy!"_

_"Oh for the love of Ra, just let us in, lady!" Billy snapped._

_"Alright, alright!" The healer gave in._

_The two servants had been haggling with Bertha, the castle's head healer, for the past twelve hours, demanding to see Cordelia. Up until now, she had staunchly refused to let them into the infirmary._

_It seems that miracles did happen, after all._

_"Just, be quiet, will you?" Bertha hazarded. "Cordelia is still healing, as is Monsieur Brume from his snaggletooth. Do take care not to disturb him."_

_In other words, she was warning them not to talk about the secrets they all shared. Bad things happened that way._

_"Thank you, Bertha." Emilia murmured, her eyes glittering with tears of gratitude._

_"Aah, my child, it is truly nothing." Bertha said, a twinkle in her kind old eyes._

_Grateful, the two opened the door and swept inside the infirmary. _

* * *

_Cordelia was bored._

_There were no two ways about it._

_The lady knight was so tired of sitting in a starch-white room with no windows. With a snoring Brume, it was dead near unbearable._

_Well, at least he was asleep now. But then, it gave her no one to mock, and therefore nothing to do._

_The doors clicked open and then shut so silently the girl did not even notice it._

_"DELIA!" Even though it was a mere whisper, the girl still jumped. Turning, Cordelia saw Billy and Emmy tip toeing softly to her bed. They couldn't hug her, since she was still healing, but they grasped her hands for dear life._

_"How was the weather on the boats?" Emmy asked cheerfully._

_Cordelia blinked. What?!_

_"How was the weather on the boats?" Emmy repeated, a little forcefully._

_It was at this point that realization came up and slapped the lady knight in the face. "Perfectly fine, Emmy darling, perfectly fine."_

_"So you'll be able to go on a picnic with us before you head out?" Billy chimed in._

_"Yes of course!" Cordelia nodded._

_"Cool! We have this all-new recipe we want to try out!" Emmy squealed, clapping with joy._

_"Alright! I can walk around a little. Meet me in the park in five counts?" Cordelia questioned._

_"See you there." Billy grinned. The two servants disappeared out the doorway as Cordelia grabbed her sword. The conversation replayed in her head._

_Emmy: Did everything proceed as planned?_

_Delia: Yes, Emmy darling, but there is much to tell._

_Billy: Meet us in the secret tower if you're able?_

_Delia: We can brief each other there._

_Emmy: You have to hurry. This is a matter of utmost importance, Delia._

_Delia: I can beg Bertha to let me out. Give me five ticks of a sundial and I'll meet you there._

_Billy: Watch out for Monsieur Snaggletooth over there._

_It was times like this that Cordelia really loved code. _

* * *

_'It was pure genius to build a castle connected to a mountain.' Billy thought. 'It makes it so much easier to sneak around.'_

_The castle was indeed built as high as a mountain, and connected to one, too. The creator of the palace had had a section of the mountain hollowed out and installed a series of secret passageways, rooms, and even a few towers, all hidden deep inside Mount Aconcagua._

_The three friends had discovered the secret half of the castle the day Anna took over the castle. Emmy had just been brought to the land, and her father hid her there with Cordelia and Billy while he went to fight rebels that were trying to overthrow the king, Anna's father._

_When the three had come out, Anna's father was dead, and the eight year old princess was running the kingdom._

_Since then, Billy and his friends had utilized the hidden half as an escape and a handy help when faced with long chores. Every room and corridor had its use, but the top tower, the very peak of the mountain, was their base of operations, their meeting room in the face of a dire disaster._

_This totally qualified as a dire disaster._

_Billy held the trapdoor open as Emmy climbed up into the dusty, circular room. "I certainly hope Dels is able to bully Bertha into letting her go." The indigo haired girl mused._

_"This is DELIA we're talking about, right Em?" Billy asked, flabbergasted. "She's a knight of the royal court! Just a glance at her sword and people are hurrying to obey her!"_

_"Or sometimes, a pleading glance will suffice." Came the annoyed voice of their willowy friend. Her head was just visible at the trapdoor. "A little help?"_

_Emmy stretched out a hand and hauled her up, kicking the trapdoor closed. "I call to attention the meeting of the Dire Disaster Dorm once again." Emmy boomed confidently, rapping a knuckle against the wall for emphasis._

_"What kind of a word is 'dorm?'" Cordelia wondered._

_"I think I heard King Yu use it once." Billy murmured, then shook his head. "Now, Delia, tell us what happened."_

_The lady knight proceeded to recount her harrowing adventures overseas. Though he was trying to be serious for the sake of his friend, Billy found himself biting his lip hard to keep from laughing at some points._

_Then Delia got to her conversation with King Yu and Queen Victoria, and the laughable mood faded. Delia explained as best she could what the King had said, and Billy could feel his jaw dropping lower with every sentence._

_"So then I snuck out the passageway and back to the army. Someone hit me over the head, and you know the rest." Cordelia finished with a flourish._

_"Uh . . .' Billy was speechless._

_"Okay, that all makes way too much sense." Emmy's eyes were dark, as they often were when she was distraught._

_"What do you mean?" Both Billy and Delia looked confused._

_Emmy then told Delia what the two had overheard in the tunnels with the Queen and the mysterious 'twin brother' she had been conversing with._

_"EH?" Now it was Delia's turn to be speechless._

_"Don't you see? It all fits!" Emmy crowed, punching her hand with her fist. "When the Queen went overseas all those times to look for suitors, she was secretly meeting with her brother! That must have been what she was doing when she was supposedly meeting with King Yu about a marriage contract!"_

_"And she lied about it to us so that we would have a reason to attack Yu's domain!" Delia joined in. "The other kingdoms will jump to either his defense or ours; it'll be total pandemonium! And when the enemy is at its weakest-"_

_Billy spoke the answer with horrible certainty. "Her brother's army will wipe them all out, and they'll rule the world."_

_The three friends stared at each other, terrified out of their minds and utterly mute._

_"Emmy." Billy whimpered. "What are we going to do?"_

_The gray-eyed girl considered for a few seconds._

_"We continue with our original plan." She said._

_"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?!" Two voices chorused._

_"Emmy that will never work!" Delia gasped, looking paler than usual. "How on earth do we fight against the hypothetically strongest army in the world?"_

_Now, not a lot truly terrified Billy. As of a few minutes ago, the number one thing on the list of things that did was the notion of Queen Anna and her twin ruling the world._

_The ferocious grin Emmy had on her face now outdistanced that fear by an ocean._

_"We turn the rest of the world against it." She said._

_Billy watched her in awe as she continued. "Our original plan was to organize a coupe by turning our allied kingdoms against Anna, right?" Delia nodded._

_"Then that is what we'll do. But this time, we turn ALL the kingdoms against her, not just her allies."_

_'Emmy, you truly are brilliant.' Billy thought. Delia looked concerned, though. "How are we going to pull this off? In case you haven't noticed Emmy, the world is huge, and for all we know, that twin could be anywhere out there!"_

_"Okay then, let's think." Emilia commanded, sliding down to sit on the dusty floor. Billy and Delia followed suit. "Let's try to rule out a few places."_

_Delia sighed. "Might as well. So, Anna obviously has control over the United Diamond Lands, which stretch across the entire Southern Land Mass. And Yu rules the Northern Land Mass."_

_Billy joined in. "Queen Victoria still has dominance over the Middle Lands. The Duke of Sandwich rules the Island Nation. And the Olden Country belongs to-" The herald blushed beet red. "Rosie. I mean, Queen Rosalinda, of course!" He backtracked when the two ladies stared at him._

_Emmy continued. "Another Knight King rules over the Cold Lands. And one of Anna's most trusted allies rules over the Deserts."_

**_(Author's Note: To make things much simpler: Anna rules South America, Yu rules North America, Victoria rules Central America, The Duke of Sandwich rules Australia and Oceania, Rosie rules Europe, a Knight King rules Asia, and an unnamed person rules Africa.)_**

_"Then where does that leave us?" Billy exploded. He was starting to get very exasperated._

_Emmy suddenly gave a start just as Delia started to speak. "There is no place left-"_

_"Wait yes, there is." Emmy murmured. Billy stared at her as she continued. "My father and I came from a land very different. At the very bottom of this world, there is a lush land, very fertile and very warm. The last king there was a tyrant, though, so my father and I left. We came here in the hopes to escape such wretched rulers. Needless to say, we failed miserably."_

**_(Author's Note: And the twin rules Antarctica. There will be an explanation at the bottom of the story.)_**

_Emmy sounded so bitter. Billy winced on her behalf and wrapped the pale servant girl in a one armed hug. Delia patted her shoulder._

_"But that's not the point! That must be where the twin is ruling!" Emmy trumpeted, triumphantly standing. "So if we get everyone else on our side, then we should be able to overpower him!"_

_"But what about Anna and our army?" Delia asked. Emmy rolled her eyes. "Um, hello? Aren't you their leader? Just explain the plan to them and tell them to fight when the time is right! As for Anna-" Emmy stalls, looking for the right words._

_"We're overthrowing her too; we tell her, the whole plan is scrapped." Billy supplied._

_"Thank you, Billy." Emmy said._

_"So, let me see if I have this right." Delia said. "We're going to organize the entire world against Anna and her twin so that we can overthrow them."_

_"Yep." Said Emmy._

_"Em, has anyone ever told you you're a GENIUS?" Delia asked._

_The pale servant shrugged modestly._

_"But this is brilliant!" Billy burst out joyfully. "Now we have a plan! We must start right away!"_

_"Right." Emmy was suddenly very businesslike. "Now, Delia, you will talk to your troops and get them to spread the word amongst their ranks. Billy-"_

_She was interrupted by the harsh clanging of a gong. The instrument was imported from the Cold Lands and meant that the Queen required Billy, Emmy, and Delia to come downstairs as soon as possible. So the servants, all sharing a worried look, swung through the trap door and went to appease their frantic leader. _

* * *

_"Ah, good, you're all here!" Queen Anna giggled when Cordelia, Emilia and Billy all lined up in her bathroom. "I was starting to worry!"_

_Cordelia was blinking. "Sorry, your most Humble Majesty. I am still injured, and slow."_

_Queen Anna looked at her. "Really?"_

_'No.' Cordelia mentally raged. 'But if it wasn't for Billy's strange sense of direction, Em's quick thinking, and my strength, we would still be lost in your deathtrap of a room!'_

_"I have an announcement." The snobby queen trilled. "There will be a royal ball in the Deserts for my allies! We are all to attend, and since my regular attendants and servants are going to stay to defend the castle, you three, along with Brume, shall attend me!"_

_Cordelia gasped. "But my Queen! What of our attack on the Sparrow's-"_

_"You have officers, don't you? Are you so daft that you couldn't find those who suited your needs?"_

_The snarky voice cut through the girl like a knife. With some effort, her head was held high. "Yes, my Queen."_

_"Good. Now, go start to pack! We leave in a turn of the sundial!"_

_And with that, the three were dismissed. _

* * *

_"Father."_

_Standing at the prow of the boat, Emilia closed her eyes. The noises of the crew hoisting the sail and Queen Anna and Brume chatting over lunch faded into background flutter as she whispered to herself._

_"Father, I know I am not nearly as good at heart as you once were, and that I may never replace you in all ways. But I must beg of you for the strength and wisdom to lead my people to freedom. Please Father."_

_Emilia finished, looking up to the sky. It had been nine years since her father died, when she had been just a strange little girl addicted to her books._

_Now she was eighteen, and she still knew as little as she did then._

_"Here we go!"_

_The captain of the boat gave the call. The crew tied up all the loose ends and cast off. They were officially at sea._

_The clouds rumbled threateningly, and the Queen squealed as she ran down below deck, closely followed by Brume. But Emilia stayed above, letting the rain that eventually came soak her thoroughly to the bone._

_'I am afraid.' She thought. 'I am afraid of what the future holds.'_

_The rain was still pouring down. And Emilia could do nothing but cry. _

* * *

"Oh, poor Emmy." Kotori said, staring at the stage. "I almost want to cry!"

"Why did you want to cry?" A curious voice asked.

The spectators turned. "A-akari?" Yuma spluttered. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, I got a call from Chris, and he mentioned something about a play, which someone completely forgot to tell me." The last part was aimed at the tufts of magenta hair that stuck out from Yuma's chair. "So he's meeting me here in about an hour."

"Oh! Um . . . great?" Kotori tried as Akari took a seat next to her.

"So, can someone get me up to speed on the plot?" The reporter said.

"Sure." Durbe replied. "It's a South American myth that Vector found. Saichi's playing the servant Emilia, Sei is playing the mad Queen Anna, Rio is playing the Lady Knight Cordelia, Takashi is playing the Herald Billy, Fuya is playing the strange King Yu, Anna is playing the sweet Queen Victoria, Tokunosuke is playing the snake Brume Noir, and Cathy is playing the innocent Queen Rosie. So far we've seen them only."

"Okay." Akari said. "So what's going on in the story? How do these things fit together?"

Everyone looked at each other. This was going to take a while.

* * *

**_Disclaimer: YuGiOh! and YuGiOh! Zexal are the properties of Kazuki Takahashi and Shin Yoshida respectively. This is a crazy fan's work!_**

**_Thanks to Guest for the review!_**

**_Tali: Okay, so, I understand that the whole who-rules-what thing is kind of confusing-_**

**_Drexal: You think, lady? I got a headache from trying to figure it out!_**

**_Zexal: Oh, shut up! You get a headache trying to follow the plot to Percy Jackson!_**

**_Tali: -so I figured I would clear things up. Basically, the people we've met thus far, plus two we'll meet later, each rule a continent. Mount Aconcagua is a part of the Andes Mountain Range, which is in South America, the home of the myth. Victoria rules Central America, because she's marrying King Yu, so the two kingdoms will merge into one big continent._**

**_Drexal: North America._**

**_Tali: Bingo! That's how North America started! ;) _**

**_Zexal: Oh, and in case it wasn't clear, Anna's twin rules Antarctica. A really, really long time ago, Antarctica was warmer, and basically like North America, weather and climate-wise. Then it kind of froze over. That was long before B.C.E., and where the story is set._**

**_Tali: Yeah, sorry! This chapter is part geography and history lesson, so you've learned something too! There you go. Hope you enjoy!_**


	6. Chapter 6

**Scene V **

* * *

**(WARNING: Every time you read "King of the Deserts", you must imagine Ryouga in armor standing atop a hill of bones and with lightning flashing behind him in order to avoid hurting his feelings. Thank you and please, enjoy your play.) **

* * *

"_Okay, while it is always entertaining to watch Billy doubled over the side of the ship vomiting up week-old fish, there has GOT to be something else to do!" Cordelia moaned._

_Emilia smirked at her. "One would have thought that you'd be used to sea travel by now, Miss Lady Knight!"_

_"Oh, I am!" Cordelia waved a hand through the air airily. "Just not ones that take SEVENTEEN DAYS!"_

_'She has a point, there.' Emilia mentally grumped. The trip to the Deserts was taking FOREVER!_

_"Look on the bright side!" Emilia tried. "We're almost at the port city, and Billy just turned a really unhealthy shade of green! Uh, should we help with that . . . ?"_

_"Probably." The Lady Knight replied. The two girls then rushed over to mop up their vomit-covered, lime green-skinned friend. _

* * *

_It was sunset, and they were finally at the port city of the Deserts Region. A team of soldiers were slipping through the crowded docks to converse with the crew of Queen Anna's ship._

_And Billy was really nauseous!_

_Seriously, all that week-old fish was a really bad idea._

_"Sir." Billy jumped. It seemed the soldiers had made it to the Queen's boat. One approached him and held out a scroll._

_"The King of the Deserts will meet with the illustrious Queen Anna on the morrow. He wishes for her to enjoy a good night's sleep not on rough seas." The soldier droned._

_Billy nodded. "Understood. The Queen bides a goodnight to the King of the Deserts."_

_The soldiers bowed and started to battle their way back through the crowded docks._

_Billy grinned. 'Perfect! Emmy's plan worked!'_

_The herald ran across the ship and down the stairs. He had to tell Emmy! _

* * *

_It was midnight now, and two black-clothed figures snuck out of the visiting ship and onto the docks. The two figures ran down the wet boards and made their way to the broiling, wind-churned sand dunes that made up so much of this giant forceful nation._

_They were supposed to keep quiet and get to the castle of the Desert King._

_One of them was completely ruining that notion._

_"Billy, stop panting, for Pete's sake!" Emilia hissed, far outsprinting the herald. "We need to be quiet!"_

_"Can't – help – it." Billy gasped, pausing to double over and gag. "So – hot! And – too – much – fish!"_

_Emilia rolled her eyes and trotted back to where the wheezing Billy stood. "I get that it's hot, but it's a DESERT. What did you expect, something tropical like we have back home?"_

_"Yes."_

_Emilia slapped her forehead. "And the fish is entirely your fault! Now are you absolutely sure the king's guards will let you in?"_

_Billy had the nerve to look offended. "Of course they will! The king and I are old friends! Trust me. When have I ever led you wrong?"_

_The look in Emilia's eyes said it all. _

* * *

_After three more hours of hiking, thirteen pounds of sweat, and twenty-seven barrels of fish vomit, the two friends finally made it to the palace of the King of the Deserts. It was marbled sandstone and stood like a beacon against the dark skies._

_An exhausted Emilia stumbled into the entryway, a lightly snoring Billy on her back. The stationed guards watched, some in shock, some with amusement, as the pale servant girl unceremoniously dumped the boy at their feet and slumped to catch her breath._

_"Okay, lady." A guard spoke up. "I understand it's Choosing Day and everyone is eager to propose to the King of the Deserts, but it's past midnight! Come back tomorrow!"_

_Emilia glared at the guard who had spoken. "No, you imbeciles! We're from Queen Anna's ship, and this here is the supposed friend of the King of the Deserts, Todoroki, Bill! Don't you idiots have eyeballs?!"_

_The guards stood up straight. "We apologize, ma'am!" They muttered. An instinct told them to be respectful to this one._

_"Good." Emilia straightened up. "Now, can I borrow a spear, please?"_

_A dozen spears were held out. Grabbing one at random, Emilia stood over the sleeping Billy. She turned the spear so that the sharp end was facing the sky and assumed a fighting stance._

_"WAKE UP, WAKE UP, WAKE UP! She yelled, whacking Billy with the wooden body of the spear. The guards burst out laughing, watching the indigo-haired girl assault the boy._

_"What, what?" Billy grumbled. Then he saw the spear. "WAAUUGH! EMMY, WHAT THE HECK? WHY WERE YOU HITTING ME WITH A POINTY THINGY?!"_

_"Because we're here!" Emilia growled. "And because I carried you halfway here, AND BECAUSE YOU FELL ASLEEP ON MY BACK!"_

_Billy stared at her. She walked over to the chuckling guards. "We request an audience with the King of the Deserts." Emilia said pompously._

_They stared at her. One of them stepped forward. "Sorry, ma'am, but I'm afraid that won't be possible. He's supposed to be choosing his bride today, see, and he really has no time for an audience."_

_Emilia held up the spear._

_They opened the doors._

_"Come on, Billy." Emilia said. Billy stood up. The servant girl handed the spear back to the guards. "Thank you for the pointy thingy." And grabbing Billy's hand, she waltzed into the palace, dragging the confused herald behind her, and followed by twelve mystified yet equally impressed guards. _

* * *

_Emilia grumbled to herself, pulling Billy through the main hallway and to the throne room. 'I ought to talk to the King of the Deserts about who he hires as guards! Hmph! The nerve!'_

_A golden set of doors came into view as Emilia rounded the corner. They led to the throne room, if she knew her royals and golden doors. Her entourage rushed to pull the golden doors open for the two servants._

_Laughter spilled out of the room as the guards opened the doors, revealing a room full of . . . girls?_

_Emilia stepped forward and confirmed; the throne room was full of girls. They laughed and giggled and spoke nervously to one another, but their eyes were fixed on one sight only._

_Atop a gold, silver-wrought throne sat a tan, muscular figure. He had shaggy, royal blue hair, and almost indigo eyes. On his forehead sat a blindingly golden crown._

_The King of the Deserts was dressed in armor as blue as the sea. He looked bored out of his mind, but perked up at the sight of the guards._

_"What is it?" He called._

_Emilia's estimation of the king rose up a notch._

_"Your highness, we present to thee, your old friend Billy." Said herald called out, grinning like a fiend._

_"Aah, Billy!" The king roared, bounding off his throne to catch Billy in a rib-cracking hug._

_"How are you?" The king asked._

_"Not too good." Billy gasped. "We're in trouble. My friend and I need your help."_

_It was at that point that the king noticed Emilia. His mouth dropped open._

_"Kyk, voor my is 'n blink ster. Op die laaste, my vriend, ek het my engel woestyn gevind." He murmured, a shy blush apparent on his face._

_Emilia blinked. Why had he said that? Behold, before me is a shining star. At last, my friends, I have found my desert angel. Why would he have-?_

_Emilia blushed. Unbelievable. Absolutely, totally, one hundred percent unbelievable._

_"Greetings, my lady." The King of the Deserts smiled. He grabbed her hand and kissed it, totally ignoring the hundreds of girls that were now glaring at the pair with intent to kill. "I am the King of the Deserts."_

_If Emilia had not been so frightened, she would have been charmed. "I am Emilia, servant to Queen Anna." She said, flinching at the gasps from the surrounding girls._

_"Guards, bring us all chairs and refreshments." The king ordered. "And escort the rest of these ladies home."_

_A girl stepped forward. "But sir, you were supposed to decide which girl you would marry tonight!" She batted her eyelashes at the king, who did not look amused._

_"Am I not your ruler?" He growled. "I shall decide when I say it's time! Now take your leave!"_

_The girl humphed, but left. Everyone else followed suit. The guards brought in some chairs and a tea tray and left Emilia, Billy, and the King of the Deserts alone in the throne room._

_Billy blinked. "Wait. What just happened?"_

_Emilia shrugged._

_"Please, take a seat." The king instructed the two servants. "Can I offer you something to drink?"_

_He held out a cup of tea to Emilia. Billy made an offended noise._

_"Thank you." She said, grasping the cup. "I hate to barge in, Your Highness-"_

_"Please, my dear, call me Mattias." The king smiled._

_Emilia fought the urge to blush. "Mattias. We apologize for interrupting your bride search, but we need to talk to you about our ruler. Queen Anna?"_

_Mattias groaned. "Look, if this is about a marriage contract, then my answer is heck no! She is a full-tail diva! Besides, my heart is already claimed." A blush._

_"No, this is in no ways a marriage contract." Billy hazarded, his face a crimson mess. "This is about her rule. She must be overthrown."_

_"And it took you this long to figure that out?" Mattias said, an eyebrow raised. "Sorry old friend, but I am afraid that if a simple coup is in order, then you will have to count me out. I have no desire to deal with her Royal Pain."_

_"But you don't understand." Emilia whispered. "She has an ally so powerful that we would all be wiped out."_

_"What?" Mattias looked shocked. "Enlighten me, please."_

_Emilia proceeded to explain the events that had occurred since Anna's "engagement", all they had learned since then, and their plan to take down Anna._

_Mattias stared at them. "Okay, wait. Let me get this straight. There's a land at the bottom of the world, Anna's brother is ruling it, and they intend to take over the whole world and enslave all who aren't allied with them."_

_"Correct." Billy nodded._

_"And this isn't a joke?" Mattias looked to Emilia for confirmation. She shook her head._

_"Well, then. I guess we are in trouble, huh?" Mattias whispered. "I am sorry for your hardships, Miss." He grabbed Emilia's hand and gave it a small squeeze._

_"Oh for the love of Pete!" Billy yelled. "Will you stop falling all over each other for one second! Mattias, are you going to help us or not?!"_

_"Billy!" Emilia yelled, whacking him over the head in exasperation. Mattias looked deep in thought._

_"Yes. I will help you. But on one-" He was abruptly cut off when the two servants jumped up and yelled and danced, triumphant._

_"But I said-" Mattias was cut off again as Billy wrapped him in a long hug. Emilia simply twirled, happiness pouring from her. Finally, something went their way!_

_"Thank you, Mattias! Thank you!" Emilia cried, joy running rampant through her. On an impulse, she hugged him as well and pecked his cheek._

_"Um, never mind." The King of the Deserts muttered, his face a crimson red._

_After a few minutes, everyone calmed down and sat back down. Billy was grinning for no reason, Emilia was out of breath from twirling, and Mattias was still red as a ruby._

_"So, we need to talk to the rest of the rulers who'll be attending the ball." Emilia rasped, attempting to get back on track. "Then we should probably attend the ball itself, incognito, to gather information. Everyone else is sure to be on Yu's side. Right?"_

_Mattias nodded. "The Duke of Sandwich and Victoria, obviously, will not be attending. Rosalinda and Anna will. The knight king, I do not know. He might pick a side, he might remain neutral. He's the wild card, though."_

_"I can talk to Rosie!" Billy offered, hearts popping where his eyes should have been. "Please, please let me talk to Rosie!"_

_Emilia eyed him. "Okay?"_

_"R-rosie?" Spluttered Mattias._

_"Yaaay!" Billy clapped._

_"Anyway," Emilia said, sufficiently freaked out "I have a friend who is also a knight. She can reason with this knight king."_

_"Good. We can meet at the ball tomorrow night and listen in on Anna's conversation!" Mattias said. "Then we organize our troops to take Anna and her crazy brother down!"_

_"Good." Emilia said_

_"To saving the world." Emilia said, holding up her cup._

_Billy and Mattias joined in. "To saving the world!" _

* * *

_Just before dawn, two horses sped through the desert, galloping at breakneck speed. Their riders were silent, both thinking of their encounter with the King of the Deserts._

_Billy was buzzing with happiness. He thought things could only get better from here._

_Emilia shuddered with overwhelming worry._

_She only hoped Billy was, for once, right. _

* * *

**_Disclaimer: YuGiOh! and YuGiOh! Zexal are properties of Kazuki Takahashi and Shin Yoshida, respectively. This is a work of crazy fanfiction._**

**_Tali: And we have reached the halfway point of the story!_**

**_Drexal: Why was there no reaction from the audience?_**

**_Tali: Because next chapter, we get something a little more explosive from them._**

**_Drexal: What is it? An emergency? A snack run?_**

**_Zexal: An intermission._**

**_Drexal: . . ._**

**_Tali: PRAY FOR THEIR SOULS._**


	7. Chapter 7

**Intermission**

"NOOOO! IT CAN'T BE OVER!" Yuma wailed, tears streaming down his face.

Akari sighed. "Yuma, it's just the intermission." Yuma looked up.

"Huh? What's that?"

Kotori facepalmed.

Kaito rolled his eyes. "It's a break between scenes for the actors to rest, and for us to talk, refill snacks, and-"

He never got to finish. At the word "snacks," Yuma, Alit, and Gilag jumped up and zoomed off.

"Probably should have waited until we were out of the auditorium to mention the snacks." Misael said.

Kaito seethed. "Oh shut up, Misa-chan."

The remaining Barians, along with Kaito, Akari, and Kotori, exited the auditorium to wait for the snack fiends.

"So, Akari-san, how are you liking the play?" Kotori asked.

"I have to say I like it." The reporter said. "But I want to find out who this knight guy is."

"I have to say so myself." Durbe said. "I just hope whoever it is doesn't make Rio angry."

"Ooooh! Is this love, Durbe?" Akari teased. Kaito went stiff.

"No, it's worry. If the guy who plays the knight makes her upset, she just might hurt somebody." Kotori said worriedly. "Remember what she did to Ryouga?"

"Oh, yeah! The wound was black and blue for a solid week!" Akari chuckled.

Durbe, Kaito, and Misael all stared at the two laughing girls.

"We're back!" Yuma called. He, Gilag, and Alit were carrying mounds of candy so high, no one could see their faces.

"What did you guys buy?" Misael spluttered, his face growing red. "I only said a little! How many pieces are there?"

"We might have bought the whole concession stand?" Alit giggled nervously.

Before Misael could lose his temper, a red headed figure dashed by and crashed straight into the candy-crazed duelists, sending candy flying everywhere.

"Look, Kaa-san! It's raining candy!" A little voice cried out. Suddenly, there was a stampede of kids trying to get the candy.

"Vector, what are you doing?" Durbe asked in alarm.

Vector's spiky hair was even more spiky than usual, and his eyes were wild. In one hand he clutched a bundle of messy papers held together by a pen, in the other, an extra-strength coffee.

In short, he looked like a wreck.

"Is Kaito here?" Vector asked, sounding out of breath.

Said Number Hunter stepped forward. "Yes. Why?"

Vector looked him up and down. He walked around, taking notes on the papers. He looked Kaito dead in the eye.

"You'll do." Vector said. He grabbed Kaito's arm and ran out the same way he came, dragging a furiously swearing Kaito behind him.

"What the heck?" Misael yelped.

"After them!" Kotori called.

* * *

Vector dragged Kaito through the hallways of the Academy. While Kaito was still yelling expletives, and even trying to whack the psychopath, nothing deterred him.

Kaito was fuming. He had no idea what in Barian World was going on! What was so urgent that caused Vector to do something like this?

And why to him? Didn't he prefer to torture Misael?

Finally vector stopped in front of a door marked 'Backstage.' He shoved it open, roughly pushed Kaito in, and slammed the door.

It was a dark room with black curtains. Some lights flickered on, and Kaito saw two figures with shades of blue and indigo hair.

"Kaito?" Rio asked, startled. "What are you doing in here?" She was wearing her Cordelia outfit, and Kaito had to admit, she looked good.

"Why are you here?" Ryouga walked over, still in his Mattias gear, his eyes narrowed. "Did you bring my extra-strong coffee?"

"No. And I'm just as confused as you are, trust me." He growled.

The door burst open. Their friends poured in.

"KAITO!" Yuma yelled, running towards the three. "DON'T WORRY! WE'RE HERE TO SAVE YOU-AAAAH!"

As he was running, he tripped over a shield and crashed.

Kotori sweatdropped.

"What happened?" Alit asked, poking his head over her shoulder.

"We have no idea." Rio, Ryouga, and Kaito said simultaneously.

"Oh, good, you're all here!" Vector squealed, bustling in through another door.

"Yes, my coffee!" Ryouga sprinted to Vector and snatched the coffee from his fingertips.

"What?" He asked, taking a sip. "It's been a weird day."

"Vector, what the heck is going on?" Kaito snapped, his eyes burning.

"Well, truth be told, I need your help." The red head said meekly.

"What is it? And why couldn't you have asked me that near the auditorium?" The Galaxy-Eyes Master fumed.

"I was in a hurry, okay? Anyways, I need you to fill in for someone."

"Who?" Everyone asked.

"IV. He was supposed to play the Knight King, but he got a concussion." Vector explained.

"How did he get a concussion?" Durbe tentatively asked.

"I hit him on the head with a brick." Vector said.

Everyone took a step away from the crazy Barian.

"Oh, come on! It was an accident! Anyway, I need someone to play the knight!"

"Then why not Durbe?" Ryouga asked angrily. "I mean, he was a knight, right? Why shouldn't he get the part?"

"Yes, but remember, this is a myth! I need to make the characters look authentic!" Vector cried, exasperated. "And Kaito happens to look exactly like the Knight King."

"He does?" Yuma blinked.

"Well, the eye color was more of a blue than a silver, but-"

"Oh, no! You are not changing his eye color!" Rio snarled, flames leaping behind her. Everyone stared at her.

"Okay . . ." Vector shrank back slightly. "Plus, Kaito knows the script by heart."

Misael stared. "How do you know that?"

"Because he practiced with her." Vector said matter-of-factly.

"WHAT?!" Ryouga screamed. Rio yelled. "Vector! I asked you to keep that a secret!"

Kaito groaned. Everyone else sweatdropped.

"Is this true?" Durbe asked. His eyes were cold.

"Yes." Kaito sighed in defeat.

"Ani, I just asked him to help me, nothing happened." Rio said, trying to placate her angry twin. "Besides, he was better than IV! Please, let Kaito fill in!"

"Well, since he knows the script so well, I need him to play the Knight King." Vector interjected.

"No." Ryouga growled.

"Please!" Rio begged.

"Fine." Kaito sighed.

"Yes!" Vector crowed.

"What?!" Everyone screamed.

"Well, on one condition." Kaito said.

Everyone stared at him, waiting with weighted breath.

"You, Vector, must not prank anyone for two whole months." Kaito said.

"WHAT?!" Vector howled.

"Yes!" Everyone else screamed.

"But Kaito-kun! I need to prank people to stay insane!" Vector wailed, his voice reverting to that of Rei.

"Vector, let me put it to you this way: it's your play or your insanity; take your pick." Kaito deadpanned.

"FINE!" Vector whined. "Now come on! We need to get you into your armor."

Kaito blinked. "I'm sorry, armor?"

* * *

"OH MY DON THOUSAND, THIS IS HILARIOUS!" Misael howled, on his hands and knees with laughter.

The Knight King Kaito was seething. "Misael, I dare you to say one more word-"

Kaito was dressed in green and blue armor, a black cloak trailing from his shoulders. He had no crown, but he had quite the scowl on his face.

"Oh, come on, he looks nice!" Akari said, smiling. "The armor really sets off his eyes, and-"

"Akari-san, with all due respect, put the phone away before I kill someone." Grumbled the angry boy.

"Oh come on, I think Chris would want to see this." The reporter whined.

"What do you mean Kaito will be playing the Knight King?!" A voice wailed. "I already told you I'd volunteer!"

Tetsuo stormed in, his face darker than a nightmare. He was garbed in midnight black armor, which matched the storm clouds hovering above him.

"You." He growled at Kaito. "You mess up this play for Rio, I will personally kill you."

He stomped off, grumbling.

"Don't mind him." Vector said as he entered the room. "He's just ticked that Kaito'll be kissing Rio-chan."

"Wait, what?" Durbe asked. He and Rio had been chatting in the corner of the room, but were heading their way.

"Nothing." Rio said. "Wow, Kaito, nice armor."

The Galaxy Eyes Master ground his teeth. "Thank you."

"No, really." Rio blushed. "You look . . . nice."

"Okay, we should probably get back to the audience." Durbe interjected. "The show is starting soon."

"Okay, guys, let's get moving!" Vector said, herding the spectators to the door. "Curtain rises in five minutes!"

"Aye aye, Captain! Bye Kaito! Try not to get killed by Tetsuo and Ryouga!" Yuma called.

Before the door closed, they heard Kaito yell in exasperation.

* * *

"I am not happy." Durbe said. His arms were crossed and his eyes were dark.

"Calm down, bro!" Alit tentatively ventured. "Kaito'll make sure she's safe."

Everyone stared. "Um-" Misael started. "I don't think that's what he meant-"

The doors to the auditorium flew open.

Akari, Yuma, Kotori, and the Barians turned to see a furious IV with bandages wrapped around his head hobbling towards them.

"Thomas, you should really be in bed, resting!" An exasperated-looking V stormed in afterwards.

"Oh, hey, Chris!" Akari waved cheerfully. "What's going on?"

"Akari!" V gasped. "Thank Barian World! Did you warn Vector?"

The reporter looked confused. "What do you mean?"

The silver haired duelist slumped forward in utter defeat. "Did you even get my text?"

Akari pulled out her D-Gazer. Sure enough, there was a missed text.

From Chris: Akari, I need you to help me. Due to an incident, IV has a concussion. He was supposed to be in a play tonight, so he snuck out of the house and is trying to get to the school. Warn Vector and whatever actor is replacing IV. STAT!

The reporter sweatdropped. "Oh."

Vector walked out onto the stage with a microphone. "Attention, folks! The play is restarting now! Thank you for your patience!"

He walked away. IV was livid.

"NO! YOU MEAN I WAS TOO LATE?!" He screamed.

"Great. Can we sit with you guys, please?" V asked.

"Sure." Yuma said. He and the others had just sat there and watched the fireworks go off.

"So, out of curiosity, and the fact that I will murder him later, who's playing the Knight King? And who will be stealing my kiss with Rio?" IV asked innocently.

"Wait, what?" Durbe asked.

"Um . . ." The Barians looked at each other.

"Huh? Oh, it's Kaito!" Yuma said, oblivious to the furious aura surrounding IV.

Everyone else groaned.

The curtains were just beginning to rise when IV screamed. "THAT SON OF A-"

* * *

_**Disclaimer: YuGiOh! and YuGiOh! Zexal are property of Kazuki Takahashi and Shin Yoshida respectively. This is the work of a crazy fan. **_

**_Thanks to shiningstar786 for the review, follow, and favorite!_**

_**Tali: Yep. Behold, my crazed mind right now.**_

_**Vector: Have you gotten any sleep?**_

_**Tali: (vein bulging in her forehead) Nope!**_

_**Vector: Okay, then.**_

_**Tali: Yes, revel in the HolyIceshipping, Diamondshipping, Accidentshipping, and whatever the heck Tetsuo x Rio is called! Anyone who can tell me what the heck that is called can have Vector.**_

_**Vector: Yeah! Wait, WHAT? WHY?! YOU NEED ME! I'M DIRECTING THE PLAY!**_

_**Tali: AND I'M THE ONE WHO GAVE YOU THE PLAY IN THE FIRST PLACE!**_

_**. . .**_

_**Drexal: Oh Ra, someone get me out of this madhouse.**_


	8. Chapter 8

**Act II, Scene I**

_"So, do we even remotely know this knight guy?" Cordelia asked, nervously rebraiding her hair for the sixth time._

_Emilia sighed through her nose. "I know about as much as you."_

_The lady knight turned to face the pale servant. "So, literally nothing."_

_"Yeah, pretty much." Emilia murmured in defeat._

_A knock sounded at the door. "Is it safe?" Billy called._

_"GET IN HERE, YOU IDIOT." Cordelia growled, throwing a hairbrush at the door as it opened._

_"Okay." Billy said, ducking the hairbrush. "Everything is set. A messenger told me that the Knight King is stationed at the dunes west of here. Rosalinda-" the word sounded forced "-is staying at a tavern in town, but is back on her ship to prepare for the ball."_

_"Excellent, Billy." Emilia said. "You both ready?"_

_The lady knight and herald nodded._

_"Good. Now- my lady! My most beautiful Queen!"_

_Even before Cordelia turned and saw the Queen, even before Emilia bowed and groveled, the hairs on the back of her neck had stood straight up._

_"My Queen, what do you wish of us?" Cordelia asked, sinking into a curtsey._

_"Well, I need attendants, of course! Why do you think I brought you along?" Anna trilled. "Brume is wonderful help, of course, but I need an extra pair of hands."_

_Oh, perfect._

_How were they supposed to sneak out now?_

_"Oh, but you see, my lady, Billy and Cordelia have prior plans." Interjected Emilia._

_Say what now?_

_"You see, some of the townspeople were rebelling against the thought of a war yesterday, and Billy and Cordelia are going to persuade them otherwise." Emilia said, phrasing her words so that 'persuade' could be exchanged for 'threaten.'_

_"Oh, how lovely!" Anna squealed, her eyes dancing with joy. "Cut an arm off for me, Cordelia?"_

_"Uh, sure?" Cordelia uttered, slightly grossed out._

_"Brilliant! Emmy, you shall attend me then! Ta ta!"_

_Once the queen was gone, both escapees looked to their savior._

_"Brilliant, brilliant, BRILLIANT Emmy!" Billy crowed._

_"But how am I going to get an arm?" Cordelia wailed._

_"Oh, you're a clever girl, you figure it out!" The pale servant girl shoved them both towards the cabin door of the ship. "Now go!" _

* * *

_Billy stood before the ramp to Queen Rosalinda's ship with sweat running down his back and nausea burning through his stomach._

_Rosie. He could still remember her sweet smell as she collided with him, the soft pink hue of her lips and-_

_He was getting way off track here._

_Willing himself to put one foot in front of the other, Billy slowly made his way up the ramp. Each step felt like there were mountains tied to his feet, and he had to resist the urge to run scampering back to Emmy, bawling like a baby, and request that she talk to Rosie._

_After practically a millennia (Author's Note: I considered pushing him.) Billy made it to the floor of the ship._

_Only to be violently knocked backwards by a man with salmon colored hair. _

* * *

_Cordelia swiftly sped across the desert, keeping her footsteps light, as she had been taught._

_Man, this Knight King was hard to track!_

_Cordelia considered this as she slowed her gait._

_He must have had far superior training to any knight she had ever seen. And he must have had the good sense to hide from his allies or potential enemies in case of an attack._

_But there was nowhere to hide!_

_Cordelia felt like screaming into the desert air, stopping to catch her breath. This was practically a barren wasteland! There was literally nowhere to hide except-_

_Except-_

_Realization struck her too late._

_The sand around her seemed to explode, and soldiers came out of nowhere, all holding bows and spears. Every weapon was primed and aimed at her._

_This was nothing. Cordelia almost laughed out loud. She had taken on far more soldiers than this!_

_But just as she reached for the sword and dagger strapped at her waist, her arms were grabbed and secured behind her back._

_"You are too loud." A silken voice whispered in her ear. _

* * *

_Emilia knocked softly at the Queen's door. "Majesty?"_

_"Yes?" Anna called, sounding annoyed._

_"What do you need me to do?" Emilia asked. "You claimed earlier that you needed-"_

_"Brume is giving me a massage." Came the irritated response. "There is a dress of green in the window of a shop downtown. Grab some gems from the treasury on the bottom floor and fetch it for me."_

_Emilia left, puzzling over the response. How odd. The Queen hated massages, and she hated the color green. Why would she ask for this, unless to distract Emilia from something?_

_Still thinking, Emilia set off to complete the Queen's wishes. _

* * *

_Billy felt himself being hoisted to his feet. "Who are you?" Someone was shaking him. "What do you want?"_

_Opening his eyes, Billy saw a man not much bigger than himself, a man of a pale complexion and green eyes and salmon hair._

_Was this the fellow who had rammed into him?_

_"My name is Billy." The herald choked. "I request an audience with Queen Rosalinda on behalf of Queen Anna-"_

_"There will be no audiences with my sister!" More shaking. Man, this guy was strong! "You must leave now!"_

_Sister? Too little too late, Billy recalled that Rosie had an older brother that she ruled alongside with. Apparently, he was just as territorial as the rumors claimed._

_"I cannot!" Billy rasped. "My Queen was insistent that I speak with Queen-"_

_"I could care less!" Billy was thrown to the ground and pinned in a painful headlock. A knee pressed into his back, and Billy let out a whimper of pain._

_"Now." The man growled. "You will leave now, or else-"_

_"Tron!" A furious voice called out. _

* * *

_"Let go of me!" Cordelia howled, jabbing her elbow back in a harsh blow to her captor's ribs. She yowled when her joint connected to hard armor with a clang, but she heard a grunt, proof that she had injured him too._

_"Who are you?" The man holding her growled._

_"I am Lady Cordelia, Knight of Queen Anna, and I-"_

_Laughter chorused up from the soldiers surrounding her. "A lady knight!" They screeched. "Hilarious! Women cannot be knights."_

_The lady knight was seething._

_"Silence!" her captor snarled. Immediately, the men fell silent. "A woman can easily be a warrior just as much as a man. It is simply quite rare that we find one."_

_"Yes sir." The assembled warriors murmured, looking ashamed, if only for being told off._

_"I come with an urgent message for the Knight King." Cordelia snapped, trying to regain her senses in her fury at being dismissed so foully._

_A tremor seemed to go through the warriors. Cordelia was suddenly released and roughly shoved into the middle of their circle._

_Barely regaining her footing, Cordelia turned around, a severe lashing ready on her lips, when she saw her captor for the first time._

_He was tall, and slim, but still muscular in a charming way. Long blonde hair was combed up to a point, perfectly accented by a green fringe. Harsh grey eyes glared at her above a tight scowl._

_Dressed in armor of emerald and sapphire, he had a pure black sword at his side and nothing else. Though he bore no crown, royalty seemed to pour off of him. There was no doubting who this was._

_"You are the Knight King." Cordelia breathed._

_He nodded. "You may have a message for me, but I know Anna. I do not know if_ _I can trust you. Therefore-"_

_He drew the sword, and it gleamed like black fire against the afternoon desert sun._

_"-I must defeat you." He said, almost somberly. "Pity. You are quite pretty."_

_He lunged. _

* * *

_Emilia knocked, once again, on the door to Anna's room. "My lady, I purchased the green dress you wanted."_

_"What?" Anna squawked angrily._

_"The green dress in town." Emilia ground out, trying hard not to punch the door. "You asked for it and I acquired it for you."_

_A shriek was heard from the room. "I said no such thing, you dirty servant! I asked for the purple dress! You stupid girl!"_

_Emilia nearly screamed. This was ridiculous! Now she knew this was a distraction. Even on her bad days, Anna was never this unreasonable! And she detested purple almost as much as green._

_"I. Am. Sorry." She said, carefully, forcing her words to be as polite as possible. "I. Will. Rectify. This. Mistake. Now. My. Queen."_

_"Good, or it is a week of flogging for you!" Anna yelled._

_Emilia remained as cordial as possible as she exited the ship. Then she proceeded to find the nearest building and slam her head against it. _

* * *

_Billy, and the angry man he now knew was called Tron, looked up._

_Rosalinda was standing in front of them, her perfect pink hair and green eyes practically glowing in the sunlight. She was in a long sleeved gown of emerald with dawn pink ties and slippers._

_She looked like an angel._

_A very angry angel._

_"Tron! You let up poor Billy this very moment! How dare you harm him?!" Rosie snarled._

_"Sorry sister." Tron murmured, easing off Billy's back. The herald gasped for breath._

_"Are you alright Billy?" Rosie asked, kneeling down beside him and cupping his face with her hand._

_Billy was grateful for his dark skin tone, which hid the blush on his face._

_"Yes, your majesty." He murmured._

_"Billy, I told you the last time, you can call me Rosie." The girl chided._

_"Wha-?" Tron spluttered, his face burning a crimson red._

_"Tron, hush!" Rosie snapped. "You go and bring us a tea tray! Oh, and you need to apologize to Billy too!"_

_Tron sighed and bowed to the fallen Billy. "Sorry." He said, with a voice that curdled milk._

_"Excellent!" Rosie chirped as Tron went below deck. "Forgive him, he is quite overprotective, as you can already see."_

_Billy nodded._

_"I am quite happy to see you again, Billy." Rosie whispered, blushing. "I have missed you."_

_"As have I, Rosie." Billy murmured, sitting up and clasping the girl's hand._

_"Now then, why don't you tell me what happened?" Rosie asked as Tron came carrying the tea. _

* * *

_Faster than a striking snake, Cordelia had her sword and dagger free. She blocked the Knight King's blade with her dagger and swung for his face with her sword._

_The soldiers were silent as she and the Knight King exchanged blows and blocked them. She had to admit, as she jumped back to avoid a slash to the head, he was quite skilled._

_"You fight impressively." The Knight King murmured, sweeping at her legs. "Who trained you?"_

_"My father until he died." Cordelia feinted to the right. "Then the knights of his training."_

_"Interesting." Their weapons locked. "I was taught by a traveling monk. I never knew my father."_

_"Huh. I never knew my mother." Cordelia jabbed for his rib cage. "She died when I was a baby."_

_"I'm sorry." The hilt of his sword came up. "My mother abandoned me when I took over the kingdom."_

_"Harsh." Another feint. "You know, there is one flaw to your techniques." He said._

_"What?" Cordelia gasped. "What is that?"_

_His leg swept around and knocked her to the ground. "You have too much honor."_

_She stared up at him. He stared down at her, a harsh shadow against the cruel desert sun._

_The Knight King extended a hand. "You are indeed a skilled warrior. You fight with honor and respect, and I have deemed that you bear us no ill will. I will listen to your message."_

_"Thank you." Cordelia grunted, accepting his hand._

_"My name is Ronan." He said. "Now come. Sit and dine with us, and tell us your story." _

* * *

_Emilia stormed to Anna's door, and carefully tapped on the door. "My lady-"_

_"OH WHAT DO YOU WANT?" Anna shrieked from inside._

_"I purchased the purple dress, my lady." Emilia said in a strained voice._

_"Nope! Nope, nope, nope!" The response had Emilia restraining herself. "I wanted the gold dress! Go and swap for that one, or it is a week of flogging for ALL your pathetic friends!"_

_It was a miracle Emilia made it back to the building before she started to scream. _

* * *

_"How awful!" Rosie gasped, her hands flying to her heart._

_Billy had just finished explaining to her and Tron the circumstances of which he and his friends lived under, what they had discovered, and Emmy's elaborate plan._

_"Unbelievable!" Tron snapped. "Rosie, do you know the probability that his story is true?"_

_"Hush, brother." Rosie whispered, deep in thought._

_"Are you actually considering this?" Tron screamed._

_"If I know Anna, and I am fairly certain I do, this is exactly the kind of thing she would do." Rosie murmured. "She was too young when she took the throne, poor dear; probably left her mentally unstable."_

_Billy sat and listened, hope etched on his face._

_Rosie turned to Billy. "What will happen to her if we join with you? What happens to her afterward, if we w_in?"

_"What?!" Tron bellowed. Billy considered._

_"I suppose we would try to help her. There is no way she could be left to rule, of course, but perhaps a simple job would be retribution enough. Of course, if worst comes to worst, we would have to send her to the dungeons, you know that."_

_Rosie nodded. "That sounds reasonable enough. Billy, you were very brave to do this."_

_"My friend Emmy's the whole reason we have this plan." Billy said modestly. "I'm just the messenger."_

_Rosie crinkled her nose. "Yes. I would like to meet this Emmy you speak so highly of. Nevertheless, I support your cause."_

_Tron stared at his sister as if she was crazy. But he must have seen that she wouldn't back down, he gave a sigh of defeat. "I suppose I do too. I shall send word to our homeland to be ready."_

_Tears splashed down Billy's face. "Thank you." He whispered._

_Rosie wrapped him up in a tender hug. "It is nothing, brave one." She kissed his nose._

_Tron coughed. "I hate to interrupt, but we should probably get ready for the ball."_

_"Oh, right!" Rosie cried, jumping up. "You need a disguise!"_

_Billy nodded._

_"Come on." She said, smiling as she grabbed Billy's hand. "I have the perfect outfit for you." _

* * *

_"These are grave tidings indeed." Ronan said as Cordelia finished her tale._

_"Yes." The lady knight whispered. "And that is why we need your help."_

_"I do not know." Ronan said. "This could end quite horribly for all involved. How do you know this plan will pay off?"_

_"Emilia is very clever." Cordelia smiled. "She would not have chosen this path unless she knew it would benefit our people. She wants you all safe."_

_"Well, the part about Anna being an insufferable tyrant is no surprise. And I have seen remarkable evidence of the country at the end of the world."_

_Cordelia waited as he continued. "However, I do not know if it is a safe bet to cast my lot in with yours. How do I know that I can trust you?"_

_Cordelia stared at him. "Are you questioning me? Are you questioning Emmy?"_

_The soldiers that still surrounded the two backed away as Cordelia started to yell. "You think we would even talk to you about this if there was not a safe chance for us all? And regardless of a rebellion, the takeover is still coming. So you can just sit right here and hide like some stupid beast while the rest of the world tries to survive!"_

_Silence._

_Uncomfortable silence._

_"Cordelia." Her name was soft on his tongue. "I am sorry to have offended you. I am simply concerned for the health of my fellow warriors."_

_"I know." Cordelia whimpered, her head sinking down. "I am too. And that is why we must take this chance."_

_"Perhaps." A pause. "I shall consider it."_

_The lady knight looked up. Her eyes shone with gratitude._

_"I will make my decision after the ball. You may attend disguised as a lady-in-waiting. Is this acceptable?"_

_Cordelia smiled. "Do you have an outfit for me?"_

_He smiled back. "My servants will attend you." _

* * *

_Emilia stumbled her way back to Queen Anna's cabin door._

_It was just her luck that banging her head against a stone building for five minutes would give her a headache._

_Thankfully, the building happened to be a healer's clinic._

_Emilia was just about to knock on the door when she heard voices inside. Curiosity got the better of her and she put her ear to the door._

_"Now Shingetsu, are you absolutely certain that this invasion route will work?" Anna's voice._

_"Yes my sister, it is perfect!" A dark, mutated voice growled. "We shall camp out in your kingdom and make our way up for King Yu's domain. Once we have conquered that, your allies in the east shall shatter the Duke of Sandwich's territory! Then the world will be all ours!"_

_"Yes!" Anna shrieked, and the two cackled with laughter._

_Emilia gasped. Anna's brother was here, on the ship! She had to go and warn everyone!_

_As softly as she could, Emilia ran for the stairs to the top deck. She would go and tell Billy, and hopefully, Queen Rosalinda had messengers to get word to-_

_Emilia gasped as someone grabbed her a mere inch fro the stairs and harshly pinned her to the ground. Emilia looked for her captor and gasped at what she saw_

_A tall yet plump man was leaning over her. He was dressed in pure black armor and had black hair that stuck straight up. His tiny black eyes looked down at her with contempt._

_"Going somewhere?" He snarled cruelly. _

* * *

"Oh, no! Emmy!" Akari gasped.

"My goodness, what a cliffhanger!" Chris marveled. "I never knew Michael could act like that!"

"I gotta admit, Kaito was really good." Yuma said, grinning.

"Yeah, but not as good as I was." Thomas grumbled.

"No, he was better." A voice sounded behind him.

"Oh, hey, Gauche! Droite! Haruto!" Alit said cheerfully. "What are you doing here?"

"I contacted them." Chris smirked. "I didn't think they would want to miss this."

Misael grinned a Vector-ish grin. "True. Take a seat guys! The show is just kicking up."

* * *

**_Disclaimer: YuGiOh! and YuGiOh! Zexal are owned by Kazuki Takahashi and Shin Yoshida respectively. This is a crazy fan's work._**

**_Thank you to SnowyOwl765 and Guest for the reviews and Reyna di Angelo for the follow!_**

**_Vector: Meet III as Tron and Tetsuo as Shingetsu, the evil(er) twin. Ronan is played by Kaito. In order to get them as tough as they appeared, Tali ordered me to train them in the arts of the diabolical. Right Tali? Tali?_**

**_Drexal: Where did she go?_**

**_Zexal: No idea. Tali-chan?_**

**_Drexal: . . . what the heck? Um, sister! I found her!_**

**_Tali: (fast asleep in front of the computer) Must . . . pinch . . . Vector . . . _**

**_Vector: She just got back from a long, WiFi-free vacation, so she's kind of unconscious._**

**_Zexal: Wait. Does this mean we can do whatever we want?_**

**_Drexal: I guess so._**

**_. . ._**

**_Vector: PAAAAAAARRRRTY!_**

**_(Fifth Harmony's "Worth It" starts playing)_**

**_Tali: World . . . domination . . . is . . . mine . . ._**


	9. Chapter 9

**Scene (V)II **

"_And you are certain that everything is ready?" Mattias asked his guard. _

"_Of course, my lord, everything is complete." The guard said. "The ballroom is decorated and complete with snacks, and the guards are stationed at every doorway and window." _

"_Excellent." Mattias said. "Oh, and I want an extra set of guards trailing Queen Anna when she arrives." _

"_Yes sir!" The guard said, bowing. _

_Mattias stood in the middle of his sandstone ballroom, which was shined and decorated to near perfection. Yet he still felt as nervous as the day he had ascended the throne. _

_If what Emmy had told him was true, then he was willingly inviting a potential mass murderer into his home. _

_The only bright side was that Emmy was going to be here. _

_Mattias blushed bright red. He remembered her soft eyes and her long indigo hair as she danced in the pure joy of knowing that there was hope for her kingdom. _

_He was ashamed to even think of asking for a condition for that. _

_But he would pay for it by helping her gain her kingdom's freedom. And perhaps later, when it was all over, he would make her his queen. _

_The doors cracked open, startling Mattias from his thoughts. The nobility from his court, his most cherished knights, and quite a few ladies of marriageable age poured in. _

* * *

"_Okay, you are set." Rosie said, looking Billy over for the final time before they entered the ballroom. "Everything looks good." _

_She blushed as she said it. Billy was dressed in emerald green knight's armor, a helmet concealing his face from sight. She had to admit, he looked quite lovely. _

"_Excellent." Billy said, his voice muffled by the helmet. Tron stifled a giggle. _

_Rosie shot him a glare, and he sighed. 'Watch it brother.' She mentally warned. 'He is risking a lot by coming here, and I shall not have you belittling his bravery.' _

_Tron snorted. _

"_Now, come on!" She called, and Tron pushed open the doors. _

* * *

_Mattias grinned as he saw Rosie and Tron walking into the room. They were dressed splendidly, and accompanied by a strong, fierce looking knight. _

_He slowly made his way through the crowds to meet them. "Ah, Tron. Rosalinda. It is good to see you." He said, giving a polite bow. _

_Rosalinda curtsied. Tron nodded. "It is our pleasure, Mattias." She whispered. "We are honored to be here." _

_Mattias narrowed his eyes at them. He wondered if Billy had had the chance to talk to them about the rebellion yet. "I see. And you are willing to aid Queen Anna in her quest for vengeance?" _

_The knight stepped forward, bowing. "More than willing to do whatever it takes, sir." _

_Mattias grinned. The voice was muffled, but unmistakable. _

"_And who is your knight?" Mattias carefully asked. "I have not seen him before." _

_Tron rolled his eyes. "A recent acquaintance, Mattias. His name is Takashi." _

_Mattias nodded. "Well, enjoy the party. Oh, and in the future, don't choose Billy's grandfather's name for a fake name. It's too obvious." _

_Rosie looked shocked. Tron grinned. "Duly noted." _

_Mattias walked away, smirking. One down, one to go. _

* * *

_Ronan glared at the wall in the carriage. _

_The one time, the one time, he was willing to go to one of these frilly balls, and he was stuck with a bunch of harrowing disasters that threatened his dignity and his life. _

_The first insult had been the sandstorm that had sent his men scampering for shelter. He himself had been forced to hide with his top three men in the only tent around: the one Cordelia was getting ready in. _

_The only part of that he was willing to acknowledge was that he now had a limp. _

_The second insult was that her shoes were too small. Now, he refused to give her anything else on the grounds that his attendants needed their shoes just as badly as she did. _

_So, she stole his fine leather boots. _

_The third and final insult was that she refused to have her hair died a different color. He had yelled at her for twenty ticks on the sundial, but she had violently protested. _

_So, after several sword fights, two of his soldiers getting black eyes, and a near fatal rolling pin attack (a crazy desert wanderer who thought Cordelia was a flower), everyone had settled for her wearing a pretty lavender bandanna. _

_Now, they were riding along in his nondescript black carriage, and he was glaring a hole in the wall. _

_And from the sizzling sound to his right, Cordelia was doing the same. _

_Although, he had to admit, she did look good in the lavender bandanna and the soft blue peasant gown. And the leather boots did look nice on her- _

_Wait, whaaaat? _

_Ronan never fell in love. It was the joke of his kingdom that the day he found a love would be the day the world ended. At twenty years old, he had never loved anyone, and had no intention of breaking that streak. _

_But as the carriage rolled to a halt in front of the sandstone palace, as he helped Cordelia out, as they walked to the open doors, he had the horrible suspicion that he was falling in love anyway. _

* * *

"_Dear me, it's the end of the world." Rosie gasped. "Is that Ronan?" _

_Mattias whirled around. Tron shot straight up. "Takashi" spat out his drink. _

_It really was Ronan coming into the ballroom, looking more bored than he was on wife-choosing days. _

_Mattias nearly called for everyone to go home. If Ronan was here, then it really was the end of the world. _

_Wait. Was that a girl with him? _

_Rosie squeaked. Tron fell backwards from pure shock. "Takashi" choked on his beef. _

_Mattias was slack-jawed. Yes indeed, there was a girl with him. _

_Wow. There were no words to describe this momentous occasion. _

"_Mattias. Tron. Rosalinda. You're all looking well." Ronan greeted. _

"_Eh . . ." Mattias got out. _

"_Ow." Tron groaned. _

"_Oh." Rosie whispered. _

"_Cordelia?" "Takashi" quietly asked. _

"_Billy?" Came the response. _

"_Yes, this is my handmaiden, Rio. And I simply came to scope things out." Ronan snapped, his eyes burning. _

_Mattias nodded. _

_So Ronan was considering joining the rebellion? _

_Praise the forces that be. Why wasn't the world ending yet? _

* * *

_Anna smiled at Brume as the carriage rolled to a stop. "I'm so excited for tonight!" _

"_As am I, my Queen." Brume purred. "It should be a lot of fun." _

"_I hope everyone will enjoy my big finale. After all, it was made special, just for them." Anna giggled. _

"_I am sure they will." Brume chuckled darkly. "It's a real showstopper." _

_The door to the carriage creaked open. Brume jumped out and offered her a hand. "Shall we?" _

* * *

"_Oh, Anna!" Rosie called out. _

_Cordelia and Billy stiffened as their sovereign approached. Rosie was visibly tense as she hugged Anna. _

_Mattias smiled, trying to resist the urge to throttle the girl. "So nice to see you, Anna." _

_Ronan gave her a nod, as did Tron. _

_Billy and Cordelia bowed. _

"_Who are these two?" Brume asked, gesturing to the knight and handmaiden. Thankfully, he didn't recognize them. _

"_This is my knight, Takashi." Rosie said. _

"_And my handmaiden, Rio." Ronan supplied. _

"_Oh, how quaint!" Anna cooed. She and Rosie launched into a conversation about clothes while Brume engaged Ronan in a chat about inter-kingdom politics. _

_Mattias signaled to Billy. "Where is Emilia?" He whispered, taking care so that Anna or Brume wouldn't overhear. "Isn't she coming?" _

"_She said she would sneak in and find us." Billy whispered. "But I haven't seen her." _

_Mattias looked around worriedly. Where was Emilia? _

_Surely she would turn up. The party had only been going on for fifteen minutes. She would be here. _

* * *

_It was midnight now, and Emilia wasn't here. _

_Mattias was a bucket of worry that was constantly growing as each minute ticked by. _

_Where was she? _

_Even Cordelia and Billy were growing concerned. It was not like Emilia to keep them waiting, they had said. Where was she? _

_Anna approached him. "Mattias! Can we royals and our servants sneak off to another room? I feel like we need some time to talk." _

"_Sure, yes, fine." Mattias snapped. _

"_Good!" Anna trilled. She signaled for Rosie, Tron, Ronan and their respective servants to follow her. _

_Mattias, his mind numbed with worry, blindly followed her as she marched out of the ballroom and into a smaller parlor room. _

"_Why are we here?" Rosie asked. Tron watched Anna carefully. _

_The girl queen turned around and smiled. "Why to talk, of course!" _

* * *

"_. . . and that is why broccoli is permanently outlawed in our country." Tron finished. _

"_Wow." Mattias was impressed, despite himself. "I had no idea broccoli could be used as a weapon!" _

"_Well, you learn something new everyday." Anna giggled. _

"_What about you?" Ronan asked Cordelia. "Do you have any stories up your sleeves?" _

"_Yes, Rio! Do you have any stories?" Anna squealed. _

"_Well, there is one that my father told me as a bedtime story." Cordelia whispered, her head hanging low. _

"_Oooh, tell us!" Anna crowed. Everyone scooted closer to listen. _

"_Well, there was once a savage and ruthless king who ruled long ago. He was not always savage; no, once, he was a good king. But his father had corrupted him so foully that he was utterly unrecognizable. But he got his retribution by slaying his father. Unfortunately, his mother was slain as well." _

"_He waged a war upon the other kingdoms, conquering as many as he could. Soon, more than all of the nearby continent was under his control." _

"_They say that this uprising king caused much strife in other lands. Villages rebelled, soldiers turned on their commanders, and even other princes went mad. It was a living underworld." _

"_A few brave people rose up to try to stop the senseless slaughtering. A wondering dragon rider tried to stop the villagers and was slain along with his dragon. A champion fighter fought for his life before the prince of his land, but was executed. And a warrior tried to settle his discontented vassals, but was subsequently murdered." _

"_The continent the mad king was attacking was almost completely taken over, all save the capital. There, a king, his sister, and his faithful knight tried to defeat the unstoppable king." _

"_The forces of the good king and the mad king were locked in combat when the princess sacrificed herself. It was unknown why, exactly, but it turned the battle to the good king's favor. However, it was at an unspeakable cost." _

"_The mad king's army retreated, and the good king and his knight mourned her death, for they had loved her very much." _

"_The good king was fraught with anger, and became bent on extracting his revenge for the death of the princess. The knight was greatly concerned, but stayed by his king." _

"_They eventually tracked the mad king down, and they waged a ferocious battle. The two kings met alone and dueled each other in a special arena. The mad king lost, but retreated, and was never heard from again." _

"_The good king returned to his army, expecting a glorious yell of triumph from his men. Sadly, the gods looked down upon his thirst for vengeance. So when the good king returned to his army, he found them all slaughtered. The knight, along with the king, were the only survivors." _

_No one spoke for a minute. _

"_It is just a silly tale, that is all. No one actually believes it." Cordelia murmured, looking embarrassed. _

"_Actually, that was brilliant." Ronan whispered. "You are quite the storyteller." _

_Cordelia smiled. _

"_Rio, darling, that was amazing!" Brume crowed. _

"_It was almost like we were all there." Rosie praised. _

"_You say your father told you this story?" Mattias inquired. _

"_Your father must have been very creative." Tron murmured. _

"_Well, the story was lovely, anyway." Anna said. _

"_Thanks." Cordelia blushed. _

"_Now then, I have some news." Anna burst out. _

_Everyone turned and watched her carefully. _

"_I am sure you all know what happened with my supposed engagement with King Yu." _

_Nods from all around the room. _

"_I wish to pay him back for his impudence with war. That is the right amount of retribution for what insult he has brought to me." _

_Nods, though all but one were forced. _

"_Can I count on you all to fight with me?" Anna asked, venom hidden behind her smile. _

"_Yes." Mattias said. _

"_Of course." Rosie and Tron chimed. _

"_I suppose." Grumbled Ronan. _

"_Excellent!" Anna clapped. "Well, I am afraid that Brume and I must take our leave. It is getting quite late." _

_She and Brume stood up. "Oh, silly me! I almost forgot!" Anna trilled. _

_She clapped her hands. _

_The doors to the parlor room burst open, revealing a pair of menacing guards. They each had a manacle chained to their wrists. Someone was bound to them who remained just outside the viewing range. _

_Mattias blinked. What was this? _

"_If any rebels or naysayers try to disrupt the war effort, I want you to do this to them!" Anna giggled. _

_The guards moved forward, dragging the person behind them. They stopped just as the person fell into view, revealing- _

_Mattias nearly choked. _

_Oh, no. _

_No. _

_Emilia. _

_She was barely recognizable. Her face was black and blue all over, and a cut on her forehead added a splash of red to the bruises. _

_Her arms were scratched up, and what looked horrifyingly like a lion bite was ruining her stomach. _

_The guards dragged the unconscious servant girl to the corner of the room and dumped her there, marching back to Anna after they had released the manacles. _

"_You can just leave her there; she'll be up and walking by morning." Anna said, clearly oblivious to the horrified looks she was getting. "Ta!" _

_She marched out of the room, followed by her guards. Brume smirked at them before going after his queen, the doors slamming shut behind him. _

_No sooner had they finished closing, the room was in an uproar, everyone running for the injured girl at once. _

_But Mattias got there first. _

_He swept her up in his arms, trying to assess the damage done to her frail body. "Emmy." He pleaded. "Emmy." _

"_Em." Cordelia sobbed. "Em. No, Em." _

"_What do we do? What do we do?" Billy whimpered, clutching her limp hand. _

"_Ronan." Mattias growled. "Find. A. Healer. NOW!" _

_For once, Ronan made no objection and sprinted off. _

_Rosie was flat out bawling, Tron stroking her hair, trying to calm her down. "Who d-did this?" She choked out. _

"_I don't know." Mattias said. "But when I find them, I'll kill them with my own hands." _

_Ronan bolted back into the room, a healer woman in his wake. The woman took one look at Emilia and snapped, "Bring her to your bedroom, your highness." _

_Mattias bounded out the door and up flights of stairs, only half aware of the people behind him. His one and only thought was to get her to safety._

_Finally, he arrived at a set of ornate doors, which he kicked down in his haste. His room decorated in soft blue and green hues usually made him feel calm and serene. Now he only felt terror. _

_The healer came running in, hollering instructions about setting her on the bed. Everyone came rushing in as Mattias laid the pale girl softly on the bed. _

_No sooner had the task been completed, they were all forcibly booted out of the room and locked out by the stern healer, who insisted Emilia needed peace and quiet. Everyone wanted to argue, but also thought it unwise to fight with the woman who could help Emilia. _

_So they waited. Tron held a still sobbing Rosie. Cordelia and Billy sat back to back, each clutching the other's hand. Ronan stood off to the side, his face nightmarish with fury. _

_Mattias paced back and forth, pausing occasionally to look back at the door. There was no word from the healer. What was happening? _

"_Despicable." Ronan growled. Everyone looked up. "Completely and utterly despicable." He continued. "Why do this? What purpose does this serve?" _

"_To unhinge us." Cordelia said tiredly. "To scare us into submission, and to chase away any thoughts of betraying her." _

"_Wait, you mean she's done this before?" Tron asked, incredulous. _

"_Well, yeah." Billy sighed. "She does beat us from time to time, but never this bad. She usually has a reason, though, to either prove her power or to scare people. In this case, it was both. We're used to it by now." _

_Mattias and the other sovereigns stared at them. _

"_Okay, that does it." Ronan snarled. "I'm in. I'll help you, but only if I can kill Anna myself." _

"_Oh yeah?" Cordelia snorted. "Get in line. Emmy gets the right." _

"_Why?" Rosie asked. _

"_Because Anna always does this to her. Well, most of the time, anyway. Plus, Emmy's the one who planned the rebellion, and her family was basically killed when Anna ascended the throne." Billy said. _

_Mattias blacked out there. For a moment, he could see nothing but red. When his vision returned, his fist was buried in the wall and everyone was staring at him in shock. _

_The door opened and the healer looked out. "What was that?" _

_Mattias sighed, withdrawing his fist. "My apologies. How is she?" _

"_Well, she's a little scraped up, but she'll survive. She's a tough girl. Oh, and she's awake now, if you want to talk to her." The healer reported. _

_Mattias momentarily slumped with relief. She would be okay. _

_Billy and Cordelia hugged, and Tron gave Rosie a squeeze. Even Ronan cracked a smile. _

"_So, do you want to see her or not?" The confused healer asked. _

* * *

_Emilia had no idea where she was. _

_The last thing she remembered, Anna's brother had been punching her hard in the head. The next thing she knew, a nice lady was washing her face in a beautiful room that looked like the sea. _

_She was lying on her stomach on an ornate bed. Her arms were bandaged up and her head didn't hurt as much. Now if she just knew where she was- _

_The door softly clicked open, and someone walked over, kneeling by her and clasping her hand. Emilia squinted. Was it-? _

"_Mattias?" She whispered, wincing. It hurt to talk. _

_Mattias smiled, relief on his face. "Yes. Don't worry. You're safe now." _

_More footsteps echoed through the room, and suddenly Billy's face popped up behind Mattias'. "Emmy?" _

"_Hey, Billy." Emilia rasped. "Where's Cordelia?" _

_The lady knight appeared next to Billy. "Right here!" _

_The pale servant girl tried to smile, but grimaced as pain lanced through her face. _

"_Easy." Mattias kissed her hand. "You're in my palace. Anna's guards brought you here. What do you remember?" _

_Emilia shivered. "Well, the last thing I remember is Shingetsu hitting me, and-" _

_She broke off. "Oh, no! Shingetsu!" _

"_Who?" An unfamiliar face towered over Cordelia's. "Who's Shingetsu?" _

_Emilia squinted. "King Ronan? What are you-?" _

"_Your friend Cordelia convinced me to come." Ronan said. _

"_Does that mean that Rosalinda is here too?" _

"_And me!" Tron snapped. _

"_Oh, right. My apologies, King Tron." Emilia hissed. _

"_Who is Shingetsu, Emmy?" Billy pressed._

"_The brother to Queen Anna." Emilia said. _

"_Wait, he was here?" Cordelia gasped. "He did this to you?!" _

"_Yes." Emilia said. "And there is much to tell." _

_She carefully sat up. "He was there on the ship with Anna. I overheard them making battle plans as to how they would take the world." _

_Sparing no detail, Emilia explained how they intended to sack the enemy kingdoms. Everyone's eyebrows rose up. Mattias tightened his hold on her hand and Emilia squeezed back, glad for the support. _

"_This is terrible!" Rosalinda murmured. "What are we going to do?" _

'_Good question.' Emilia mentally sighed. _

"_Anna's ship leaves in the morning." The servant girl said. "No doubt Shingetsu will be there. We will sail back to our kingdom with them. In the meantime, you three-" she pointed to the mystified rulers "- muster up your troops. We'll send word of when the invasion is due to start. _

_Everyone stared at her. _

"_Wow, Billy was right, you are good." Tron said, impressed. _

"_Thank you?" Emilia said. _

"_But what about King Yu and his allies?" Ronan asked. _

"_You each contact King Yu, the Duke of Sandwich, and Queen Victoria's kingdoms. Tell them that you plan to join them in the fight against Anna, and to be at the ready with their armies." Emilia said _

_Ronan nodded. "A respectable plan. I like it." _

_Rosie blanched. "But we can't send you all back to Anna now! She'll get suspicious!" _

"_Everyone can stay here for tonight." Mattias offered. "Finest suites we have." _

"_Thanks." Billy slurred. "I could just pass out-" _

_And he did. He sprawled right on the floor and started to snooze. _

_Emilia sighed. _

* * *

_Morning came all too soon, and everyone was saddled up for their respective ships. _

_Ronan cautiously approached Cordelia's horse, where she was checking the straps to her saddle. _

"_Cordelia." He said. _

_Cordelia yelled and turned around, the knapsack in her hands whacking him across the face. _

_Ronan grunted. "Ow." _

"_Oh, my gosh, I am so sorry, Ronan!" Cordelia gasped. "Are you okay?" _

"_Yep." Ronan grumbled. "Who hasn't been viciously smacked with a knapsack before?" _

"_Did you need anything?" Cordelia asked. _

"_Just . . ." Ronan trailed off. He sighed. How was he supposed to say this? _

"_Just, be careful . . . please." He muttered, his eyes on the ground. _

_Cordelia smiled a small smile. "Yes sir." _

* * *

_Rosie approached Billy's horse, watching as he slowly mounted. "Billy?" _

_The herald turned to her. "Yes, Rosie?" _

_Rosie blushed. "I will miss you. Please, please be careful with Anna. I want you alive to see your people freed." _

_Billy saluted. "You got it!" _

* * *

_Mattias helped Emilia mount her horse. The pale servant girl was still a little weak. _

"_Thank you." She said, smiling at Mattias. _

_The king felt his heart start to beat a little faster. "You're welcome." _

"_No, I mean . . . thank you. For saving my life." She whispered. _

_Mattias leaned up and kissed her cheek. "Always." He smiled. _

_Emilia smiled back. _

_Then she and her friends turned their horses and galloped away into the morning sun. _

_Mattias watched them go. Then he turned to the rulers near him. "Alright. We have work to do." _

* * *

_Emilia, Billy, and Cordelia tiptoed onto the ship, keeping an eye out for Anna or her crazy brother. _

"_Oh, there you are!" An unpleasant voice boomed. _

_Emilia flinched. "Master Shingetsu." _

_The portly Shingetsu stormed up from below deck. _

"_You three are horribly late! Why, we almost took off without you!" He roared. _

"_We apologize." The three murmured. _

"_Darn right you do!" Shingetsu rumbled. "When we get back to the kingdom, you three are in for the beating of your lives!" _

_Emilia flinched again. Cordelia and Billy cowered in fear. _

_They could only hope the invasion was to start soon. _

* * *

"Wow, that is heavy stuff." Droite said.

Yuma and Alit were once again in tears. They sobbed into their sleeves and wailed.

Durbe blinked. "That story sounded so familiar . . .wait. That story-"

Misale gasped. "In South America-

Durbe yelped. "In the past-

"Wow." Haruto said. "I hope everything turns out all right."

"I'm sure it will, Haruto." Chris said.

"Hmf." Thomas grumbled. "I still would have made a better Knight King."

* * *

_**Disclaimer: YuGiOh! and YuGiOh! Zexal are property of Kazuki Takahashi and Shin Yoshida respectively. This is a crazy fan's work. **_

_**Thanks to shiningstar786 and senshi moon for the reviews!**_

_**(Ghost Nappa is blasting at full capacity.)**_

_**Drexal: Holy mackerel! Almost 4,000 words! Tali, what the heck?! **_

_**Tali: . . . zzzZZZzzz . . . **_

_**Zexal: She is still asleep, baka! **_

_**Vector: Better hope she stays that way! The limbo contest is about to start! **_

_**Drexal and Zexal: YAYYYY! **_

_**Tali: . . . wait, what? What happened? **_

_**Vector: Oh no.**_


	10. Chapter 10

_Scene (V)III _

_Billy staggered through the door to Emilia's bedroom, blood dripping down his face. "Emmy? Bertha? My nose is broken again." _

_Bertha sighed. "Take a seat, young man. Let me patch you up." _

_Emilia sighed. "I really hate that scumbag Shingetsu. This palace is more of a living nightmare than usual!" _

_To make a long story shorter: when Anna, Brume, Shingetsu, Emilia, Billy, and Cordelia had returned to the palace, pandemonium had basically come out of the woodwork and beat their hides right off their bones. _

_Shingetsu had quickly risen to take control of all domestic castle productions. He was in charge of all discipline, and took an almost criminal amount of pleasure in punishing people for so much as sneezing. _

_He had also destroyed the infirmary and executed all but Bertha and her young apprentice Leslie. Emilia had graciously lent the two her room as a temporary clinic, since without a clinic, every servant in this kingdom was royally screwed. King Yu's words, not hers. _

_Emilia sat back, nursing a bandaged arm. "This is ridiculous. Why can't they launch the invasion so we can kick their butts?" _

_Bertha sighed. "Now, dear. We mustn't be impatient for our emancipation. It's just bad for the soul." _

_Emilia and Billy stared at her. _

"_Leslie!" Bertha called. "Can you fetch me some ice? Billy's nose has broken again." _

_Leslie ran into the room carrying a bucket of ice. She was a small, bubbly girl only a year younger than Emilia and Billy. She had lilac hair held up in pigtails and light grey eyes. Her usual green dress was stained with water. Leslie was also quite clumsy. _

"_Sorry, Bertha." Leslie said. "Here's the ice." She set it by Billy. _

"_Oh thank you!" Billy sighed, scooping up a handful of ice. "This is the third time this week!" _

_Emilia stood up. "I wonder how the war council is going? Do you think Cordelia will find anything useful for us to use?" _

_Leslie smiled. "I'm sure she will this time!" _

_Billy looked at the bubbly healer. "I hope so." _

* * *

_Mattias sighed and looked out the window. "Are we there yet?" _

_Ronan groaned. "Mattias, that's the seventeenth time the past hour that you've asked that! I told you, we're almost there!" _

"_If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're pining for Emilia." Tron snipped. _

_The King of the Deserts choked on air. "Whaaa-?" _

"_It is rather obvious." Ronan rolled his eyes. "While we were gathering our armies and we sent letters, Emilia was mentioned in everyone of yours." _

"_When we met for one last war meeting before sailing to Yu's kingdom, every sentence you said had Emmy in it." Tron smirked. _

"_Ever since we've been on the boat, you've been asking for any letters from her." Rosie added. _

"_And don't even get any of us started about the drawings of her we've found all around the ship." Ronan grinned. _

"_Okay, okay, maybe I do miss her a bit." Mattias muttered. _

"_You think?" Everyone yelled. _

"_Oh, come on, like you haven't been missing Billy!" Mattias shot at Rosie. Rosie looked slightly abashed. _

"_Well-" She started. _

"_And just the other day I heard you yelling about how there was no one good to fight with. You're missing Cordelia, even if you're too stubborn to admit it." Mattias tossed at Ronan, who grimaced. _

"_I do not-" He began. _

"_And you-" Mattias turned to Tron. _

_Tron grinned. "Face it. I'm the only one here not emotionally attached to anyone in the rebelling country." _

"_I - okay, fine." Mattias grumbled. _

_Rosie sighed and turned to Ronan. "If we don't get off this ship soon, I fear we shall all go mad." _

_Ronan gave her an odd look. "I'm sorry, go mad?" _

"_Okay, good point." Rosie grinned. _

* * *

_Cordelia paced back and forth in front of the door to Anna's room. _

"_Why are you still here?" Anna's voice sounded. "I told you, I don't need protection. If anyone tries to break in, they'll just get lost in here. Although, I don't quite know why everyone gets lost in here. It's quite simple." _

_Cordelia sighed. "Okay, my lady, I will leave. And, if you find a guy named Theseus running around in there, run, cause he brought the Minotaur with him." _

"_Oh, ha, ha!" Anna snorted. _

_Cordelia turned and stormed off. _

* * *

_Billy flopped next to Emmy on her blanket pile. "I want to kill Shingetsu right about now. Why do we need to clean the dung pits? No one EVER needs to clean them!" _

"_Don't question our guest, Billy." Emilia groaned. "He's insane, and you have to accept that. Everyone else has accepted it; now it's time you accepted it too." _

_The door banged open and Cordelia stomped in. _

"_Well, Emmy, your eavesdropping idea was a bust." Cordelia growled, throwing her hands in the air. _

_The servant girl flinched. "Sorry, Delia." _

_Billy sighed, rubbing his eyes. "Cool off, Delia. We're all worn out here, and it won't do any good to go snapping at each othe-" _

"_Quiet!" Emilia yelled, shooting straight up. "I can hear Shingetsu!" _

_Billy nearly screamed. _

_Cordelia assumed fetal position. _

_All of them had learned to fear Anna's psychotic brother the hard and painful way. _

_And sure enough, they could hear Shingetsu through the walls. _

"_No way, sis." He was saying. "We need to launch the invasion now, while they're still preoccupied with your lousy army. It's the perfect distraction." _

_Cordelia growled under her breath. _

"_Oh, fine!" They heard Anna yell. "We'll launch the stupid invasion! Go round up the troops!" _

_They waited for a minute until they were sure that the maniacal twins were gone. Then they started to celebrate. _

_Emilia jumped up. "Yes! Finally! Finally!" _

_Billy yelled, triumph radiating from every pore in his body. "Oh, boo yah!" _

_Cordelia stomped her feet. "Oh yeah! Uh huh!" _

_The three friends laughed and danced for a few more minutes, reveling in their good fortune. _

"_Okay, enough." Emilia gasped. "We need to get a letter out to Yu and the other rulers about the invasion time." _

_Billy nodded. "Affirmitive!" _

_Cordelia gave a thumbs up. _

"_Alright, let's go!" _

* * *

_Yu paced by the dock, chewing on his fingernails. _

_Queen Victoria sighed. "Yu dear, you've been doing that for days. They'll be here any minute!" _

_The Duke of Sandwich nodded in agreement. "Yes, yes! Victoria is right, they should be here quite soon! Now please come inside, I don't think nearly two days of pacing will change anything. Nor is it completely healthy." _

_No response. _

_Victoria groaned. Her fiancé was wearing himself out with worry. _

"_Yu dearest, why are you so nervous?" She tried. "Everything is all set. Our troops and the Duke of Sandwich's army are all waiting by the United Diamond Land's border, and the troops from across the sea just arrived. Rosalinda's letters say they are perfectly on course, and should be here within the next hour! What could possibly be wrong?" _

_Yu sighed and ceased pacing. He turned to Victoria, and she could see the worry swirling around in his eyes. _

"_I'm worried about the United Diamond Lands." Yu murmured. His usually jovial face was grim. "Who shall rule over it once the Queen's spot is vacated? And who shall take the country at the end of the world?" _

_The Duke of Sandwich gasped. "They're here!" _

_Indeed, a giant ship was mere lengths away from the docks. _

_Victoria yelled in triumph. "Thank the gods!" _

_Yu sighed in relief. "Praise be." _

_The ship thumped against the docks. The crew moved to tie the great thing to the docks, but a pink and green blur raced past them and jumped onto the dock. _

"_Thank the forces that be!" Rosie yelled. "Seventeen days! On a ship! With NO OTHER INTELLEGENT PEOPLE!" _

"_Hey, what about us?" Mattias asked, jumping onto shore. _

"_NO OTHER INTELLEGENT PEOPLE!" Rosalinda repeated. _

"_Oh, Rosie! I've missed you!" Victoria cried, hugging her best friend. Rosie did the same. _

"_I've missed you too, Tori." Rosie said. "I needed someone to talk to." _

"_Hey, guys!" Tron and Ronan jumped ashore. _

_Yu did a double take. "Ronan? Wow, the world really is ending." _

"_Oh, shut up." Ronan grumbled. _

"_Hey Dukie-boy!" Tron greeted the Duke of Sandwich. "It's been a while." _

_The Duke nodded. "Yes. I would love to catch up, but we need to get to the battlements. Our armies need us." _

"_Right." Ronan nodded. "You'd better hope it's a long trip." _

"_Why?" Victoria asked. _

"_Because boy, do we have a lot to tell you." Mattias said. _

* * *

"_Cordelia, you got the letter?" Billy whispered. _

"_For the millionth time, YES." Cordelia growled, her eyes practically flaming in the dark. _

_Emilia resisted the urge to crack their heads together. "Quiet! This castle is crawling with spies; even the secret passages aren't safe anymore!" _

_The two bickering friends nodded. _

_Emilia turned and continued through the narrow passage. _

"_I can't wait until we can get out of here." Billy muttered. "I want to see Rosie again." _

"_I hear you, man." Cordelia murmured. "I'm missing Ronan right about now myself. Although I never thought I'd say that. Aside from our first meeting, he was a pain up my-" _

"_I think we get it." Emilia threw back. _

_Truth be told, she was missing Mattias herself. He was always very sweet and he was handsome, and whenever he spoke to her, he was always so respectful. _

_If she was honest with herself, she really liked him. _

"_I do not have a crush on Ronan!" Cordelia wailed. "He is an annoying pain!" _

"_Oh, you really, really like him!" Billy crowed. _

"_You two need to shut up!" Emilia hissed. _

"_Yes, you two are entirely too loud." _

_Emilia froze. Cordelia squeaked. Billy whimpered. _

_They all turned around. _

"_I mean, really." Shingetsu growled. _

"_Even an idiot could have found you people."_

_He chuckled mirthlessly. _

"_Now, would any of you care to tell me . . ." _

_Everyone cringed. _

"_. . . what's in that pretty little letter of yours?" _

* * *

_Yu whistled as the horses trotted to the war tent. _

"_That is quite the story." Victoria whispered. _

"_Aye." Murmured the Duke of Sandwich. _

_The horses trundled to a stop at the war tent. _

"_Those poor dears." Victoria shuddered. _

"_I never really knew." Yu whispered, aghast. _

"_They've been through a lot." Mattias agreed. _

"_Well, at least they'll be free soon." The Duke said._

"_Right." Everyone else sighed. _

_They dismounted and entered the plush war tent. _

"_So, what now?" Tron asked. _

"_Good question. Ronan?" Rosie asked. _

"_Now," Ronan sighed. He hated this part. _

"_Now, we wait." Mattias whispered. _

* * *

_Leslie shivered as she tiptoed down the dungeon stairs. It was so creepy down there! And so dirty . . . wait, WAS THAT A RAT? _

_The clumsy girl squeaked and held her food tray closer to her as she approached cell number three. _

_Why had Shingetsu summoned her in the middle of the night to deliver food to a cell with no one in it? It made no sense at all! _

_Leslie sighed. His requests were getting stranger and stranger these days. _

_A moan sounded from the cell. _

_If it was physically possible, the hair on Leslie's head would have stood straight up in fear. That wasn't possible! There was no one in that cell! Unless- _

_Leslie screamed. "A ghost!" _

_Nothing. There was only silence. _

_Leslie cautiously stepped close enough that she could peer into the cell. _

_She screamed again. _

_Emilia, Billy, and Cordelia were all lying facedown in the cell. There backs were scraped, raw, and bleeding from whip lashes, and she could see the bruises stretching up to their necks. _

"_You guys!" Leslie yelped. "What happened to you?" _

_She squatted down by the iron bars that served as a door, setting the food tray aside. _

_Emilia raised her head. Her face was cut and literally red. _

"_Leslie, we haven't got much time." The pale servant girl rasped. "You must listen to me." _

_Cordelia shifted. She sported lines of bruises along her face. "Shingetsu found out that we were trying to smuggle out information to the rest of the world's nations. He punished us, but he didn't get the letter." _

_Billy sat up slightly. He sported two black eyes. "We need you to get that letter to the rest of the world." _

_Leslie was confused. "But, why me? And why not you?" _

_Emilia held out her hand through the bars. A letter was face up against her palm. _

"_We cannot escape." Emilia hissed. "It will only draw Shingetsu and Anna's attentions. You have to go. There is an army stationed not fifteen leagues from here. Find them, and find the kings and queens. They will know what to do. Tell them to hurry!" _

_Leslie stared at them for a moment more. Then she took the letter. "You can count on me." _

_She slid the food tray into the cell. "Rest easy. Get better. Fear not, I will not fail you!" _

_Then Leslie ran, bounding up the despicable dungeon stairs and tearing through the castle until she reached the stables. _

_Leslie bolted through the doors, mounting one of the Queen's fastest thoroughbred horses. She quickly urged it forward, and the horse took off into the night, galloping down the mountain and through the forests so fast, it was as if they were flying. _

_Leslie would not fail Billy, Cordelia, and Emilia. She would find the army and deliver the news her friends had worked so hard to hide. _

_And then she would set them free. _

* * *

_Tron yawned as her stepped out of the war tent. It had been a long night of discussing war tactics and otherwise worrying about their friends. It was exhausting. _

_A messenger suddenly approached the king. "Sir, I have a lady here who is quite insistent on an audience with you and the other rulers." _

_Tron rolled his eyes. "What, does she demand to be wed to one of us? Or better yet, does she demand a kingdom of her own?" _

_A timid voice sounded. "No, your majesty. I have news regarding three of your allies in the United Diamond Land. Do you remember a Cordelia, Emilia, and Billy?" _

_If Tron were a betting man, he would have bet that if he had a drink, he would have spit it out right about now. _

"_Come here!" He bellowed. _

_A little girl stepped into his line of sight. She had pretty lilac hair and grey eyes, and looked more than a little terrified of him. _

_Tron thought she was the most wonderful thing he had ever seen. _

"_Come with me, please." He said, more tender than his former command. _

_The girl nodded. _

_Tron strode into the war tent where his fellow rulers were all fast asleep at the meeting table. _

"_Wake up!" He roared, slamming his hands on the table. Everyone was wide awake and out of their seats, yelling and shrieking like monkeys. _

"_Augh! Tron, what the heck?" Mattias yowled. _

"_Quiet, all of you!" Tron snapped. "I have a girl here who has information from Emilia, Cordelia, and Billy!" _

_Everyone shrieked. "WHAT?" _

_The girl cautiously stepped inside the tent, terror on her face. _

"_Easy. We will not harm you." Tron said. "What is your name?" _

"_Leslie." The girl squeaked. _

"_A beautiful name." Tron said gently, trying to calm the clearly terrified girl. "What is your news?" _

_Leslie gulped. "Well, they found out that Shingetsu's army plans to launch this evening for King Yu's kingdom. They were going to come themselves, but there was a . . . complication, of sorts." _

_Tron felt his heart freeze over. "What kind of a complication?" _

_Leslie ducked her head, tears rolling down their cheeks. "Shingetsu caught them on their way to the stables, and he had them beaten for trying to smuggle out information. Luckily, he does not know of your involvement. They sent me here to warn you." _

"_Where are they now?" Mattias' voice was deadly calm. _

"_In the dungeons." Was the response. _

_The only thing Tron could think of to even remotely describe what happened next was complete and utter rage. _

_Mattias, Rosie, and Ronan tore out of the command tent and started screeching orders at the army generals to move their lazy butts out of bed and prepare the troops for war. Yu, Victoria, and the Duke just kind of sat there. _

_Tron turned to Leslie. "Listen. Please, you must go back to the castle. As of now, with the three incapacitated, you are our acting eyes and ears. If you see anything, come and find us. Got it?" _

_Leslie nodded and ran off. _

_Tron smiled after her. "I like that girl. She's sweet." _

_Yu gave a small smirk. "So, does this mean you do have a rebel you like?" _

"_Oh, shut up!" _

* * *

_Emilia strained to sit up in the tiny cell. "They're coming for us." _

_Billy and Cordelia shifted to look at her. _

"_I can almost feel them. They're a day's ride away." _

_Cordelia looked up at the ceiling. "Do you think they'll get here in time?" _

_Billy snorted, then groaned from the pain. "Of course they will. This is Ronan and Rosie and Mattias. They'll come." _

_Emilia looked at the floor. 'Mattias . . . everyone. Please hurry.' _

* * *

Alit stared at the stage. "My gosh."

Yuma was shocked. "What happened to Tetsuo? I've never seen him act like that!"

"Vector did a nice job keeping everyone in character, that's for sure." Chris murmured.

"Yeah." Thomas grumbled. "Except Kaito. I was way better than him."

"WE GET IT." Everyone yelled.

* * *

_**Disclaimer: YuGiOh! and YuGiOh! Zexal belong to Kazuki Takahashi and Shin Yoshida respectively. This is the work of a crazed fan. **_

_**Tali: Please officially welcome the Duke of Sandwich, played by Spencer, and Leslie, played by Suzue. For those of you who don't know, Suzue is NOT an OC. She is actually a recurring minor character in YuGiOh! Zexal. In Rei's debut episode, she is the sole female battling the visiting champion duelist, as well as a WDC spectator. **_

_**Vector: (groans) Tali just gave her a (whimpers) name. **_

_**Tali: . . .what's wrong with you? **_

_**Vector: I'm still limping from what happened when you found out about the party! **_

_**Tali: For the millionth time, how was I supposed to know that there was a banana peel at the top of the stairs? **_

_**Vector: I wouldn't have even slipped on it if you weren't so busy nagging me! **_

_**Tali: You had a party and nearly blew up my house! How is that my fault?! **_

_**Vector: Hey, you're the one who fell asleep! **_

_**Zexal: And thus continues the argument. I do not know why Vector bothers**_.


	11. Chapter 11

**Scene (V)IV**

_Mattias stared at the castle that dominated the mountain. It was beautiful, true. It's surface was made of crushed gems, so it sparkled in the light of day or night. _

_The King of the Deserts wanted to tear it down gem by precious gem. _

"_Do you see the army?" Ronan asked from behind him. _

_Mattias turned to face the Knight King. "Yes. They are gathering at the base of the mountain. There are many troops. I suppose that Emilia was right about that." _

_A chuckle came from their left. "Yes. Such a pity, for we still outnumber them by at least ten thousand." _

"_Do not be a fool, Rosalinda." Ronan hissed, turning to face the Rose Queen. "They may still best us. We do not know what their motives are." _

"_Yes. That may be true. However, we have motivation ourselves." Tron said, coming to stand behind his sister. "We are fighting to free our friends and rid ourselves of a cruel tyrant." _

"_Well said." Mattias said, smiling at the King of Thorns. _

_A soldier ran up to the gathered rulers. "Lords and Lady, we are ready to launch our first attack. The Duke of Sandwich, Queen Victoria, and King Yu will stay here and oversee the command tent. I assume you will be marching into battle with us?" _

_Ronan nodded to the soldier. "Prepare the horses." _

_He turned back to his comrades. "It is time to free our friends." _

* * *

_Emilia rolled over, cautiously testing the whip marks on her back. _

"_Yep, all healed up." Emilia said, sitting up. _

"_Same here." Billy stretched, accompanied by the various creaks and cracks of muscles. "But man, am I stiff." _

"_It's only been a day and a half." Cordelia pointed out, bending to touch her toes. "Although, we haven't been getting any exercise." _

_Emilia rounded on the lady knight. "I'm sorry, was that exercise we got every day? Silly me, I was under the impression it was forced manual labor." _

_Cordelia chuckled. "Okay, good point." _

"_I wonder if the army has started marching yet." Billy pondered. _

_A sudden round of thudding startled the three friends. It was rhythm like, and was completely uniform. It was the sound of a million feet marching totally in unison, and it continued on and on._

"_Gee, Billy, does that answer your question?" Cordelia grumbled. _

"_Hey, we couldn't hear that when I asked!" Billy spluttered indignantly. _

"_The army is on the move." Emilia said worriedly. "I hope Leslie was able to get the message out to Mattias and the others." _

"_Don't worry." Cordelia said confidently. "I'm pretty sure they got it." _

"_And we should probably be there to greet them." Billy said. "Isn't that proper manners?" _

_Emilia blinked. "Or maybe, we could be doing something useful, like capturing Anna!" She moved closer to the bars of the cell. "We need to break out of here. Uh, Billy, so you have a needle on you?" _

_Billy snorted. "Oh, sure Emmy! Let me just take a look in my magical pocket where I store my needles, my healing potions, and my getaway horses!" _

_Emilia rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Delia, do you have a hairpin?" _

"_You need ask?" The lady asked, holding one out. _

* * *

_Rosie stared at the army below. "Wow, they are very loud." _

"_Yeah." Ronan snorted. "What kind of respectable king would train his army so poorly?" _

_They were lying in wait in the lush forests that surrounded the mountainside castle. The army of the evil king was gathered below. _

_And boy, were they making quite a racket! _

_They were slamming shields, yelling at the top of their lungs (an act that made Rosie wonder if some of them weren't sirens), and stomping their feet. _

"_What the heck are they doing?" Tron said, disbelief all over his face. "Are they trying to get themselves killed?" _

"_No matter." Mattias smirked. "They will all fall. We charge now!" _

"_Wait!" Rosie grabbed his arm. "Something is wrong here. I sense there is a problem." _

_Tron chuckled. "Rosie, please. We are all experienced strategists. This is obviously sheer stupidity! We charge!" _

_The boys all left, leaving Rosie sitting at the vantage point. Her brows furrowed as she reviewed her brother's words. _

"_Sheer stupidity." She murmured. "Or-" _

_No. It could not have been. _

"_Stop!" She wailed, leaping to her feet. "Stop! Stop! It is a trap! Halt! IT IS A TRAP!" _

"_CHARGE!" A voice called. The army hidden by the woods charged to the careless, clever soldiers. _

"_Stop!" Rosie wailed uselessly. _

_She ran back to the hiding place and pulled a small sword from the bushes. She unsheathed it and stared in fear at the blade for a breathless moment. _

_Then Rosie ran to the army, just as the earth around the careless, clever army exploded. _

* * *

_Billy couldn't help but scream when a frightening bang was heard. "Emmy! What was that?" He asked. He was afraid. What could have made such a noise? _

_The pale servant girl stopped to consider. "Well, either Anna is throwing a hissy fit, or-" her eyes became as wide as dinner plates. "Or-" _

"_Or, what?" Cordelia snapped. "Emmy, what's going on?" _

_Emilia said nothing. She simply started to run through the dungeon. Billy and Cordelia followed her. _

"_Stop, Emmy!" Cordelia yelled. _

_Emilia stopped and turned to face them. Her face held pure, unadulterated fear. _

"_There is an ancient curse upon this land." She whispered. "A horde of monsters shall reveal itself if given the proper sacrifice. They are meant to defend the castle should it be attacked." _

_Billy froze. "Whaaaaa?" _

"_I believe that Shingetsu and his great, stupid army have attempted to rise them. And judging from that horrific bang, I would assume they have succeeded." _

_Cordelia blinked. "So, let me get this straight. An army of monsters that could kill everyone has been summoned by Shingetsu, and is now being used to trash our allies?" _

_The indigo haired girl spread her hands. "Pretty much." _

_Everyone was silent for a few minutes, until a new round of bangs shredded the air, screams of pain following. _

"_Run." Cordelia hissed. "Run, run, RUN." _

_The three turned tail and ran as fast as they could up out of the dungeons and into the castle. _

"_I have to get to the army." Emilia panted. "I know how to stop the monsters." _

"_Well come on then!" Cordelia growled through gritted teeth. _

_Billy was running nonstop, with no real heed to how fast he was going. His only thoughts were to find Rosie and get her away from the violence as fast as possible. _

* * *

_Ronan was unaware of anything but the sound of his army taking Shingetsu's forces by storm, when he was suddenly airborne. _

_Hitting the ground with a yell, he sprang back up, clutching his sword as the monsters erupted from the ground. _

_They were hideous, mutated things. A combination of slug and man, they had the torsos of men and the long, grotesquely large tail of the slug. Their faces were a strange mutation of both, with two squirming columns protruding from a normal-shaped head. Their eyes were red and blue, their color-scheme purple and orange, with white connecting lost limbs. Their bodies were armored, and their eyes full of an inhuman malice. _

_In short, sounds of vomiting and whimpers of terror filled the battlefield. _

_The monsters shrieked and began to ascend on their army, electricity frying a hundred soldiers to a crisp. _

"_What are these things?" Mattias howled. "Emmy never said anything about this!" _

"_Maybe this was a trap!" Tron gasped, his lip bleeding. It appeared he had been thrown too. _

_Mattias blinked. "Rosie knew. She was yelling it at our men when they charged!" _

"_But how did they know we were coming?" Tron yelled. "Those three would have never told on us, not after Emmy was beaten like that!" _

_Ronan gasped as a horrible realization gripped him with harsh claws. _

"_No. The twins knew." Ronan said. "They knew this whole time. They would never have total control over the world if we were still ruling our lands. So they planted seeds for a rebellion in the servant's heads, knowing they would take it and come to us. They have us all right where they want us, and they will kill us all." _

_No one knew what to do. They were all silent with fear and foolishness ravaging their hearts. _

_A scream drew their attention back to the battle. Their men had bravely taken on Shingetsu's army and the monsters. The men were surprisingly easy to defeat, but the slug men would be a problem. _

"_We need a plan." Ronan growled. "We must assist the men fighting the slug men. Try to find a weak point. And . . . in case one of us falls in battle, I want you to know . . . it has been an honor dealing and fighting with you." _

_The three kings shared a rare smile. _

"_Now, come!" Ronan shouted. "FOR FREEDOM!" _

* * *

_Cordelia may have been healed, but her back still screamed when she crashed into someone. _

"_DELIA!" Emilia wailed, bounding back over to the lady knight. _

"_Ow!" A strangled moan sounded from under Cordelia's right foot. _

"_Leslie!" Billy gasped. "You okay?" _

_The lilac haired girl sat up. "Ow. And yes. I was coming to find you guys! There's trouble!" _

_Cordelia could have screamed. "We know about the monsters." _

"_No, not that!" Leslie said. "It's Anna! I heard her upstairs in her room. She's planning to sacrifice a huge pile of jewels in her room to summon something more powerful!" _

"_Oh. Right." Cordelia groaned. "Something even stronger. Kind of forgot that part. Emmy, did you forget that part?" _

_The indigo haired girl threw up her hands. "No. That one's new." _

"_Great. Now what?" Billy grumbled. _

_Emilia ran her hands through her hair. "Okay, new plan. We divide and conquer. I will go find Anna. Cordelia and Billy, you two find Ronan and Rosie and try to track down Shingetsu and Brume Noire. Those two will probably be fighting somewhere. Leslie, find Tron. Give him these instructions." _

_Emilia whispered in Leslie's ear. The lilac haired girl nodded fiercely. "Of course." _

"_Okay, we have a limited amount of time for this." Emilia said harshly. "No dallying. Our fate depends on it. Go!" _

_Everyone started running. _

_Cordelia bounded down the stairs, straining her ears for anything suspicious. _

_How was she going to find Ronan? There were thousands of knights in blue and green armor down there! It would be like trying to find a needle in a haystack! _

_Cordelia paused. That was a good phrase! She should remember that one! _

_At that point, an all too familiar roar of exasperation slapped her across the face. _

_Cordelia smiled. There was only one person in the entire world who could scream like that. _

* * *

_Leslie ran as fast as she dared, her legs burning. She ran down the stairs of the entranceway and out into the courtyard, following the sounds of battle. _

_She had to find Tron! She would not fail Emmy, Billy, and Delia! _

_Leslie carefully cracked the large golden doors open and ducked as a spear whistled over her head. _

"_Sorry, miss!" The guard who had thrown it called. He then continued to slash and hack at the surrounding enemy soldiers. _

_Leslie stared at him. "Yeah, okay." _

_She edged out the door and around the brawling men. _

'_Whew, that was close!' She thought. 'I'll have to be more wary than ever if I want to survive- _

"_AAAH!" She screamed. _

_While Leslie was being so careful to avoid the soldiers, she forgot to look out for the giant monsters, one of which scooped her up and was clutching her in its fist. _

_(Author's Note: Behold, the inspiration for pretty much every cliché movie where the monster grabs a girl and takes her captive was BOOOOOORRN!) _

_Leslie screamed as the slug person tightened its grip and – slithered? Slalomed? Whatever! – back towards the fighting armies. _

* * *

_Tron slammed the hilt of his sword onto an enemy soldier's head. "I don't see any weaknesses in the slug people, Mattias!" _

_The King of the Deserts kicked a soldier away. "I'm inclined to agree! Ronan, have you found anything?" _

"_If I had, I would tell you!" Ronan yowled, slashing at an opponent. _

_A bloodcurdling scream cut above the battlefield. _

_Tron looked up. "What the heck is that?" _

_A slug person landed in front of the three kings. In its hand, it clutched a small girl with familiar lilac hair- _

_Oh, no. _

"_LESLIE!" Tron yelled. Panic burned through his body. "What are you doing up there?" _

"_Oh, you mean it isn't obvious?" Leslie snarled. "I'M CLEARLY RELAXING UP HERE, WHAT THE HECK DOES IT LOOK LIKE, GENIUS? GET ME DOWN FROM HERE!" _

"_We need to find a way to defeat them!" Tron wailed, terror gripping his brain. _

"_NO KIDDING GENIUS!" Ronan screamed. _

"_But no one knows how to beat them!' Mattias wailed. _

"_I know how to beat them!" Leslie bawled. _

"_Huh?" The three men looked up at the girl. "How?" _

"_They're called Gorgonic Guardians, and they have a very rare ability. They're too strong to be defeated normally." She called down. "The only thing that can destroy it is their own attacks!" _

"_THEN HOW THE HECK DOES THAT HELP?" Tron shrieked. _

"_You mean it isn't completely obvious?" Leslie snapped. "REFLECT THEIR ATTACKS BACK AT THEM, YOU PACK OF USELESS MORONS!" _

"_How do we do that?" Mattias yelled. _

_Leslie started to hit her head against the gigantic fist. The Gorgonic Guardian stared down at her in confusion. _

"_Wait!" Ronan gasped. "What if we used our shields to reflect their attacks back at them?" _

_Tron grinned. "Perfect!" _

_Leslie screamed in exasperation above them. _

"_Thank you, Leslie!" Tron called. "You're an angel!" _

"_Wait, where did you get this information?" Mattias asked. _

"_Emilia told me." She said. _

"_Wait, she's alive?!" Mattias squeaked. Tron thought his friend was going to explode from sheer happiness. _

"_So are Cordelia and Billy!" Leslie continued. "They sent me here to tell you how to defeat these things! Emilia went to trap Anna-" _

_Bam! Mattias was gone. _

"_-and Cordelia went to find Brume Noire-" _

_Bam! Ronan was gone. _

"_-and Billy went to find Shingetsu!" _

_Bam! A pink and green blur sped by. _

"_They're all gone, aren't they?" Leslie grumbled. _

"_Yep." Tron sighed. "SOLDIERS! USE YOUR SHIELDS TO REFLECT THEIR ATTACKS BACK AT THEM!" _

_He unstrapped his shield from his back just as the Guardian turned to him and fired a bolt of electricity his way. _

_Grinding his teeth, Tron deflected the attack, flinching as the hair on his arms was singed. The bolt bounced back and fried the Guardian into oblivion. _

"_EEEEEEE!" Leslie wailed as she started to fall. _

_Tron bounded forward and jumped up, catching her just in the nick of time. _

_She stared at him. "You saved my life!" _

"_Well-" Tron blushed. "I try." _

_She pinched his cheek. "There's a battle going on, you know." _

_Tron sighed. "Right." _

_He set her down and gripped his sword. "Stay behind me, please." _

_She nodded. "Will do." _

* * *

_Ronan ran and ran as fast as he could. He had to find Cordelia! He had to make sure she was okay- _

_Oh, dear. He really had fallen in love with her. _

_Ronan sped through the cracked golden doors. _

_He was moving so fast, that he hardly even felt it when he crashed into someone. _

_Rubbing his eyes, he sprang back up to come face-to-face with- _

"_Brume Noire." Ronan growled. _

"_Bonjour, mon amie!" Brume giggled. "I see that you've managed to defeat the Guardians! Good for you! But, you will ultimately fail once Anna Darling summons the God of Death! So, what are you up too?" _

_Ronan snarled. "You have tortured my friend for a very long time. I am going to beat you to within an inch of your life and HANG YOU UP BY YOUR ENTRAILS." _

_Brume gave a shrill, high-pitched laugh. "You can try!" _

_Ronan drew his sword and charged. _

_Brume smiled and disappeared. _

"_What?" Ronan screeched to a stop. "Where'd you go, you cowardly worm?" _

"_Hey!" Brume's voice echoed from behind him. "I prefer to be called a snake, thank you very MUCH!" _

_Ronan turned, swinging the sword. There was no one there. _

"_Wow, for a knight, you sure have no patience!" Brume teased to his left. _

_Ronan flung his arm out, seeking the slimy servant. Nothing. _

_Brume continued to toy with Ronan's temper, appearing and disappearing. Ronan slashed and spun and ran all around the courtyard until he was soaked in sweat and Brume was laughing hysterically. _

_Ronan was fed up. He threw back his head and screamed in exasperation. _

* * *

_Cordelia ran as fast as she could towards the scream that was even now still thundering throughout the castle. _

_She emerged in the courtyard only to find Ronan punching the air and uttering every unspeakable swear word under the sun. _

"_Ronan?" She called. _

_He turned and blanched. "DELIA, BEHIND YOU!" _

_Arms suddenly pinned her from behind. "Ah, lady chevalier! We meet again!" Brume hissed in delight._

_Cordelia just growled and elbowed his ribs. A weird squeak came out of his mouth. _

"_What was that for?" He said, sounding like an opera singer. _

_The lady knight sighed. "I am not even going to begin to explain that statement. I will just settle with beating the life out of you." _

_She grabbed his hands and flipped him over her head, smiling in satisfaction when he hit the ground with a thud. _

_Ronan ran up to her. "Are you okay?! Are you hurt?!" _

"_I'm fine." She hissed. "We need to tie this guy up." _

_Ronan grinned an evil grin. "I'm in!" _

_They dragged the groaning Brume to the stairs and tied him to the post. _

"_By the way, since when can he disappear?" Ronan asked. _

"_His father was an illusionist." Cordelia explained. "Brume picked up on his tricks." _

_Ronan rubbed his head. "Figures." _

"_Well, now that that's settled, we need to go help the soldiers!" Cordelia said. _

_She moved towards the golden doors, but Ronan grabbed her arm. _

"_No. I am going to help the soldiers. You need to find someplace safe and stay there." _

"_WHAT?" Cordelia rounded on a quailing Ronan. "I WILL ABSOLUTELY NOT GO AND HIDE!" _

"_YES YOU WILL!" He roared. _

"_NO! YOU WILL NOT DISHONOR ME BY ORDERING ME TO HIDE!" _

"_I AM NOT TRYING TO DISHONOR YOU!" _

"_ARE YOU TRYING TO STEAL ALL THE GLORY?" _

"_NO!" _

"_YOU THINK I CAN'T HELP!" _

"_NO! YOU ARE COMPLETELY IMPOSSIBLE!" _

"_NO, YOU ARE!" _

"_YOU ARE!" _

"_WHY DO YOU WANT ME TO STAY BEHIND, THEN?" Cordelia shrieked. "BECAUSE WHATEVER IT IS, I WILL NOT YIELD TO EVEN IF YOU GOT DOWN ON YOUR KNEES AND BEGGED ME TO-" _

_Ronan kissed her. _

_Cordelia froze, her veins buzzing with adrenaline. He wrapped her up in a hug and she melted against him. When he pulled back, she was utterly breathless. _

_He got down on his knees. "Look. Here I am, on my knees. Please go find someplace safe and stay there until I come for you." _

_She nodded. "O-okay." _

_He smiled at her. "Be safe." _

_And with one last kiss on her forehead, he ran towards the golden doors. _

_Cordelia stood there for a minute, blushing. "Oh, my goodness." _

* * *

_Rosie edged into the courtyard, clutching the sword for dear life. She peeked in and sighed in relief. No one. _

_She crept in and bolted up the stairs and into the castle. _

_Closing the doors, she slumped down and gave a sigh of relief. _

"_Hello!" A dark voice rasped. _

_Rosie screamed and jumped up, weakly brandishing the sword. "S-stay away from me!" _

"_And why would I do that?" Shingetsu cackled. "You are such a pretty lassie!" _

_Rosie's hands shook and the sword dipped slightly. "I'm warning you!" _

"_Oh, are you now?" He hissed, sliding closer. _

_Bang! _

_Shingetsu groaned and held his head, staggering back a bit. A large iron skillet clattered to the floor. _

_Someone stepped out from behind the now vomiting Shingetsu, and Rosie's heart danced with joy. _

"_Stay away from her." Billy growled. _

* * *

_The furious herald glared at Shingetsu as he retched. "You will stay away from her. Is that clear?" _

_The man coughed, wiped his mouth, and looked up. "Oh yeah? And who's going to make me?" _

_Billy snarled. "I am." _

_Shingetsu laughed, throwing his head back. "You? I hardly think that you have the strength to eeeeeee~!" _

_Billy had gotten bored of his stupid mockery, so he kicked him in the shin. _

"_Oh, that's it!" Shingetsu bellowed. "You're dead!" _

_He pounced and tackled Billy to the ground. _

_For the next few minutes, the two men wrestled with each other, neither gaining the upper hand, but both gaining numerous injuries. Shingetsu had a bloody nose. Billy had a split lip. And they both had so many bruises! _

_Finally, Billy managed to pin Shingetsu down, but the evil king had had the good sense to wrap his hand around Billy's throat. _

"_You fool." He rasped, tightening his grip on Billy. "You think that you will prevail? No. I will ultimately triumph, and you will be-" _

_A large iron skillet came down on his head, both knocking him unconscious and freeing Billy's throat. Gasping, Billy looked up. _

"_Stay away from him." Rosie hissed, her eyes practically dripping fury. _

_Billy lunged and wrapped her in a warm embrace, laughing. "You were brilliant!" _

"_You did all the work." She cooed. "Thank you for that." _

_Billy smiled and kissed her nose. "Always." _

* * *

_Mattias had no recollection of the castle. All he knew was that he was panting on his knees in front of a giant pink set of doors. _

_If this wasn't Anna's room, then it was some kind of deathtrap. _

_A shout from outside brought Mattias to the nearest window. He saw Tron raising his sword high in front of their soldiers, Leslie on his arm. They were crying out in victory at the enemy army, which was running into the opposite direction. _

_There were no Guardians to be seen. Mattias guessed they had been defeated. _

_Pulling away from the window, he strode back to the pink doors and flung it open. _

"_What the-?" Mattias spluttered. "This room is completely empty! It's nothing like the black hole that Billy described!" _

_It was true. The room was totally barren. The only thing actually in the room was a gigantic swirling vortex at the very center. _

_With Anna standing before it. _

_Oh no. _

"_Come forth, Eternal Beast!" Anna roared. "Rise from the depths of the watery prison and become my slave! I SUMMON ABYSS!" _

_The vortex screamed – he wasn't sure how, but it did, and rather loudly, at that – and gallons of water exploded from it. They quickly took a proper shape and solidified. _

_Mattias' jaw dropped. This was a god standing before him. _

_The man was massive, blue skinned, and very angry looking. He had gold, blue, and pearl armor, and had black hair and a beard, the latter of which was spiked. A golden crown like attachment with a pearl in the center rested on his brow and his eyes were a turquoise blue mix. _

'_Why hast thee summoned me?' He thundered. Mattias jumped as the floor rumbled. _

"_Servant!" Anna shrieked, though a little uneasily. "Wipe out the enemy forces that plague my paradise!" _

"_No!" Mattias found his feet and ran to Anna, tackling her and pinning her to the ground. _

"_You swine!" She howled, and Mattias was only aware of the sound of lightning before he was thrown into a wall with a crack! _

_Black spots danced across his vision as he struggled to rise. Anna cackled. "You foolish king! You have just dug your grave!" _

_An all too familiar roar grated on his ears as Mattias finally succeeded in standing up, though he wished he hadn't. Behind Anna stood a Gorgonic Guardian, and a rather big one, at that. It looked to be almost as big as the god. _

"_Perfect." Mattias snarled. _

* * *

_Emilia jumped when the floor shook beneath her. _

_What was going on here? _

_From the sounds outside, she guessed that the army had been defeated, and her friend's troops victorious. The shriek of Gorgonic Guardians no longer haunted her, reigniting her worst fears, so Leslie must have given them the message. _

_Then what was that bang- _

_Oh. Right. _

_Because the Guardians weren't enough of a blast from the past. _

_Right. _

_Emilia sighed and ran to Anna's room. _

_She jolted to a halt when she realized that the doors were already wide open. She panicked. _

'_If an innocent is in there, then whoever it is will be crushed!' Emilia thought worriedly. _

_A loud groan issued from the room. _

_Mattias. _

_The girl bolted into the room. _

"_Holy Abyss, it's clean in here!" She yelped. _

_It was true. The room was devoid of any of the mess that usually cluttered it. _

_Except for a giant blue familiar god. And Anna. And Mattias. And the general of the Gorgonic Guardians. _

_All of which were staring at her. _

"_YOU DIRTY SERVANT!" Anna shrieked. "HOW MANY TIMES HAVE I WARNED YOU NOT TO MEDDLE IN MY AFFAIRS?" _

_She leapt for Emilia. _

_The indigo haired girl ducked, and Anna flew over her with a shriek. Emilia's hand shot up and grasped Anna's leg, halting the mad queen's tumble. _

_Emilia flipped the girl over her head and released her, thus slamming the petite little queen onto the ground. Anna gasped, then scrunched up her face and wailed like a baby. _

"_Oh, stop whining you little brat!" Emilia snarled, thoroughly enjoying herself. _

_A glance over at Mattias had her smiling. He had grabbed his shield from its place on his back and was currently frying the Guardian into ashes with its own attack. _

"_You did it!" She crowed once the beast was scattered on the floor. _

_He turned and bounded to her, sweeping her off her feet. "Actually, I think you did it. You were amazing! How did you learn that?" _

_Emilia shrugged modestly. "My dad was a genius with self defense. He did teach me a few things before he died." _

_Mattias grinned. _

"_Indeed." A thunderous voice rumbled from above. "Thou hast done well." _

_Mattias set Emilia down and looked up at the god. _

"_Why did you not grant her wish?" Mattias asked. _

"_Because his allegiance lies elsewhere." Emilia breathed, stepping closer. "Abyss." _

_The god gave a small half-smile. "Kamishiro Emilia. Thou hast done well. Thy father is exceedingly proud of thee. He apologizes for everything that has happened, and prays that thee will forgive him." _

_Emilia nodded. "Of course I do. Thank you, Abyss." _

_The god reached out a hand and tapped Emilia's forehead with a finger. "Thou is most wise, Emilia. May you have a most wonderful and fruitful life." _

_Abyss snapped his fingers. Anna was hoisted into the air and tied against a wall. Another snap of his fingers and a disgruntled Brume and Shingetsu joined them. _

"_Thee may deal with these beasts as thy see fit." The god boomed. "Peace mortals, for thee hast found grace in my eyes." _

_The god and vortex disappeared just as Billy, Ronan, Tron, Cordelia, Leslie, and Rosie came screeching into the room, closely followed by King Yu, Queen Victoria, and the Duke of Sandwich. _

"_Yay! You're alive!" Billy yelled. _

"_Oh hush, you!" Rosie scolded. But she was grinning all the same. _

"_Wahoo!" Leslie called._

_The kings and queens present simply smiled. _

"_So, what are we going to do with these brats?" Ronan asked, jerking his head in the direction of the three angry prisoners. _

"_How dare you!" Anna wailed. "We are the saviors of the-" _

"_Stuff it, you baby!" Billy roared. _

"_I'm liking this already!" Cordelia said with a grin. _

_Mattias stepped forward. "Queen of the United Diamond Lands, you are henceforth accused of heinous crimes, and you and all accomplices will be tried for high treason!" _

"_NO!" Shingetsu howled. _

_Brume swore in his native language. _

"_THIS ISN'T FAIR!" Anna wailed. "I'M NOT EVEN THE QUEEN OF THIS STUPID HUNK OF ROCK!" _

_Emilia stiffened. _

"_She's telling the truth." Rosie said. "I can feel it." _

"_There's a shocker." Tron mumbled. _

"_But that isn't possible." Ronan reasoned. "If you aren't the queen, then who is?" _

"_Yeah, who?" Mattias taunted. _

"_SHE IS!" Anna shrieked, pointing. _

_Right in Emilia's direction. _

* * *

The entire audience had a hush over it.

No one was talking, yet everyone was buzzing.

What could this mean?

One voice broke the silence.

"I don't get it." Yuma piped up. "What did she mean when she said that Emilia's the Queen?"

Everyone face palmed.

* * *

_**Disclaimer: YuGiOh! and YuGiOh! Zexal are property of Kazuki Takahashi and Shin Yoshida respectively. This is the work of an extremely exhausted fan. **_

_**Tali: Yes. Emmy is queen. How many of you saw that one coming? **_

_**Zexal: Me. **_

_**Tali: You helped me write the script. **_

_**Zexal: And I lived in your head long before you wrote the script. **_

_**Tali: . . . fair point. **_

_**Vector: (still limping from his Battle with the Banana Peel) Tune in next time for the final act! And the encore! **_

_**Tali: My apologies for the lack of updates. School has been awful. Hopefully, I can establish a regular schedule soon. Adios!**_


	12. Chapter 12

**Scene V **

_The room was eerily silent. No one moved a muscle, nor made a sound. _

_And everyone's gaze was directed right at Emilia. _

_The pale servant girl sank to her knees, her hands over her face. Her shoulders began to shake. _

"_Emmy?" _

_Cordelia and Billy moved closer. _

"_Is that true?" _

_Emilia looked up, shuddering. Tears rolled down her face. "I-" _

_Everyone leaned forward. _

_Emilia sighed. She could tell that defeat was inevitable. "Yes. In a sense." _

"_What do you mean in a sense?" Billy whispered. "Are you or aren't you?" _

_Emilia shook her head. "Please, I-" _

"_WHO ARE YOU?" Cordelia snarled. "WHO EVEN ARE YOU? ARE YOU EVEN OUR FRIEND? DID EMMY EVER EVEN EXIST?" _

"_Okay, someone explain what's going on now!" Ronan thundered. "Which one of them is the enemy?" _

_Everyone save Emilia and the chained up prisoners started yelling. _

"_Stop." Emilia wailed. _

_Silence. _

"_Emilia?" _

_The indigo haired girl cringed, her heart screaming. _

"_Is it true?" Mattias asked, hurt and confusion in his voice. _

_Emilia winced as tears poured down her face. "Yes." _

_All the air was sucked out of the room. _

_Tron, Ronan, Mattias, and Billy rushed forward, but Emilia held up her hand. _

"_I understand that you are angry, but please let me explain-" _

"_WHY SHOULD-?" Tron bellowed, but was cut short as Leslie stomped on his foot. _

"_ENOUGH!" Leslie roared. "Let her speak! She saved all of our skins, let her SPEAK!" _

_The men backed off. The room was silent once more. _

_Emilia shot Leslie a grateful look before speaking. _

"_My father was once the king of these lands. But under his rule, it was called the United Lands of the Poseidon Ocean." _

"_So you lied when you told us that your father immigrated here from Anna's kingdom." Billy guessed. _

_Emilia sighed. "Yes, that was necessary due to Anna's schemes." _

_Anna snorted from her spot on the wall. "Oh, joy, here we go." _

_Everyone glared at her. "Do you mind?" Mattias asked. _

"_What?" Anna looked innocent – or tried to anyway. "I've heard this story a million times." _

_Brume stared long and hard at the silly girl he worked for. "Anna, dear? You're in this story." _

"_Well, even my glory gets boring after a while." Anna sighed. _

"_Anyway." Emilia continued. "Anna's kingdom waged war against mine for quite some time. Cordelia, you know this. Your father fought at my father's side, as well as your mother." _

_Cordelia nodded. "Yes. At some point, my mother sacrificed herself to summon a god to turn the tide in the war. I was barely a year old. Father and the king – er, Emmy's father – sorry, it's just so weird – were distraught, which led them to storm the king's land and kill him, at the cost of their army." _

"_Yes, Anna's father. He brainwashed my aunt and forced her to make the sacrifice that spurned the attack." Emilia whispered. _

_Cordelia frowned. "But I just said my mother did-" _

_Emilia raised an eyebrow. _

_Cordelia sat back. "Oh, my God, my mother was your father's sister? How did I not know this? What the bleeding-?" _

_Ronan put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure Emilia will explain in a minute." _

_Emilia's eyes were misty again as she continued. "At some time during the war, both Cordelia and I were born. And after it was over, when I was about five, I had a vision. A god told me that a tyrant would take over my kingdom, and I would have an opportunity to save it." _

"_I'm guessing that was Abyss?" Mattias asked. _

_Emilia gave the thumbs up. _

"_Hold it." Billy held up a hand. "Let me see if I'm getting this right. Emmy's father, the king, went to war against Anna's father with Cordelia's mother and father, who were related. At some point, the woman died, and the resulting battles led to everyone dying." _

_Emilia nodded again. "Pretty much." _

"_Sad story." Billy stepped back. "Please continue." _

"_Well, then life returned to normal." Emilia smiled fondly. "Billy traveled from his land, and we became the best of friends. Father ran the kingdom as always. But then, what remained of the Evil King's land rose up to attack the surrounding lands." _

_The servant's faces darkened as they remembered the attack. _

"_Father sent Delia, Billy, and I to hide in the tower while he fought. Thanks to an earthquake, and some godly intervention, some boulders were shaken loose, and you both" – she pointed to her two friends – "were hit in the head." _

"_And by the time I came out, everyone was dead, Anna was in command of the continent, and no one remembered I was the rightful princess. No one in the kingdom could tell, since my father kept me hidden from sight." _

"_When I confronted Anna in private, she told me that as long as she had influence over this kingdom, the people would be under the spell. If she wed someday, she would hand over the kingdom to me. Otherwise, it was all hers. And if the others found out, death would follow." _

_King Yu whistled. "Well, that clears everything up. Such a terrible plan on Anna's part, though. I'm sorry for your loss, Emilia." _

_Mattias put a hand on Emmy's forehead. Delia sat down next to her. Billy took Emmy's hand. No one spoke for a while. Until Anna processed that sentence. And got mad. _

"_Uh, hello?" Anna screeched. "It was brilliant! Emmy didn't have what it took to be a strong ruler-" _

"_And yet, she outsmarted you." Cordelia snarled. "She outmaneuvered you in your own game." _

"_That may be true, but now what happens?" Anna taunted. "Who will rule this desolate wasteland?" _

"_You mean it isn't obvious?" Yu cut in. "It should be the one who was supposed to rule this land from the very beginning!" _

"_So, you mean you're letting me go?" Anna squeaked. _

_Yu looked at her. "HECK NO. I MEANT EMMY." _

_Emilia's jaw dropped. "Really? You're giving me back my kingdom?" _

_Yu sighed. "Yes, and not just because you deserve it. You getting the kingdom back is the best choice there is. That way no more wars will be waged and this place can rebuild." _

_Emilia beamed. "I don't know what to say." _

"_Don't thank him." Mattias warned. "Running a kingdom is not as easy as you think." _

_Cordelia raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really? Who do you think did all of Anna's required paperwork?" _

_Billy groaned. "Behold, the reason I have a fear of writing." _

_Everyone laughed._

* * *

_Mattias paced outside the balcony door. The conquering heroes were due to make a speech in ten minutes . . . and preside over Anna's trial. _

_He was dressed in his finest garb and his most constricting crown. Normally these things calmed him, but today, they only added to his worries. _

_Emmy. His poor, sweet Emmy. How was this dainty little girl supposed to run a kingdom? It was madness! _

"_Mattias?" _

_The Desert King turned to behold the indigo-haired girl. No longer shabby, her hair was washed, curled, and piled atop her head in an elaborate bun. She was dressed in a long, dark blue dress with a breastplate of gold. A slim, gold circlet sat on her forehead. _

_Mattias smiled, despite his worries. "You look lovely, dear. Is that breastplate your father's?" _

_Emilia nodded. "I thought it the best way to honor his actions and bravery." _

"_Indeed." Mattias noted the girl's shaking hands. "Nervous?" _

_Emilia looked up. There were tears in her eyes. _

_Without a word, Mattias pulled the girl into a hug. She didn't object, burying her head in his shoulder. _

_Mattias stroked her back. "Do not fear, Emmy. Everything will turn out all right. Trust me." _

"_I do." Emilia whispered. "I trust you." _

"_Good." Mattias kissed her forehead. "Now, buck up! This isn't like you!" _

_Emilia giggled. "Yes, I suppose I am being a bit blue today." _

_The trumpets – on key this time – sang out. _

"_That's our cue." Mattias stepped back and held out his hand. "Shall we?"_

* * *

"_Where have you two been?" Cordelia hissed. She was dressed in her silver breastplate, with a sharp blue dress underneath. "We've been waiting forever!" _

_Leslie grinned at her two friends as they waltzed to the balcony. "Leave 'em be, Delia. Besides, today is supposed to be a day of joy, not accusations." _

_Cordelia nodded. "I suppose." But she eyed Mattias suspiciously the whole time. _

_Billy sneezed. "Jeez, why is standard traditional dress made of cotton? I'm allergic to cotton! Before the celebration is out, I'll be swelled up like Anna's ego!" _

_Rosie laughed as she watched the herald scratch at his blue, gold, and silver tunic and pants. "It is a tradition, love. Do not worry, it makes you look fantastic." _

_Ronan and Tron snorted behind their hankerchiefs. Leslie gave them a look. _

_The trumpets blared again. "And now, announcing our saviors, the herald Bill of the Alit bloodline, Leslia Montreras, Lady Knight Cordelia of the Kamishiro bloodline, and our rightful queen, Kamishiro Emilia!" _

_King Yu trumpeted over the crowds, he and the rest of the allies seated on a platform before the Front Door. He tossed a wink up at the balcony. _

_Cordelia stepped forward with her friends, smiling when Emilia blew a kiss to her subjects, as was custom. _

_The crowd of peasants, who had been oppressed for far too long, cheered and screamed wildly, elated to be free of Anna. _

_Cordelia felt Ronan step up behind her and place a hand on her shoulder. "Scared?" He hissed. _

"_In your dreams." Cordelia whispered. "But I don't know about this queen thing." _

"_Get used to it." Ronan murmured confidently. "You might be one in a few years." _

_Cordelia looked at him sharply. Ronan just smiled and kissed her cheek. _

_Emilia was addressing the crowd. Confidence and vitality poured from her shoulders. "I am aware of your hardships under Anna's cruel regime, and there may be more to follow. But what I do know is that if we work together, we can restore this kingdom to its former glory!" _

_Everyone screamed their support, throwing flowers and hats into the air. _

"_I will have statements on the new government system after the celebrations are over." Emilia's tone grew serious. "But first, we must deal with certain traitors to the crown." _

_Cordelia and the others looked down at the platform, where Anna, Shingetsu, and Brume were being dragged onto the stage. _

_The crowd began to call for an execution, but Emilia held up a hand. "I am aware of all they have made you all suffer, and have taken that into account with this case. But I feel that, since I know what makes them tick, killing them would be a kindness to them at this point. So there will be no execution." _

_Cordelia looked at her friend. They had argued for a long time to reach this decision, but Cordelia thought that Emmy had the right idea. _

"_Instead, I have come to this conclusion." _

_The crowd leaned forward with baited breath. _

"_These three will be sent off on a ship, unmanned by anyone, off into the unknown, with limited supplies. They will be turned away if they reach any town, should they make it to land, and will be forced to live like we once did, to atone for their sins." _

_The three captives started to wail, just as the audience roared their approval. _

"_All in favor?" Emilia called. _

"_ALL IN FAVOR!" _

"_Then, let us celebrate!"_

* * *

_The music was just as upbeat as the audience that night as everyone danced and laughed. There would be no work for a week for the parties in honor of the new queen._

_Leslie waved at everyone she knew as they passed. So many people had congratulated her for being a hero, but she had deflected it all on the three friends. They were the ones who had paid in sweat and blood for this revolution. _

_A hand tapped Leslie's shoulder, and she heard Tron's laughter as she jumped. _

"_You're mean." She stuck out her tongue. _

_In turn, he stuck out a hand. "Shall we?" _

_Leslie took his hand, and Tron whirled her out onto the dance floor. She giggled. "Why so sudden, Majesty?" _

"_Well, our kingdoms are going to become good friends for the foreseeable future." Tron twirled her around. "We might as well try to get along." _

"_Absolutely not!" Leslie purposefully stepped on his foot. "I intend to challenge this friendship as often as I can." _

"_Does this mean you're going to step on my feet whenever possible?" Tron asked, pulling her close. _

_Leslie leaned in. "Of course, your majesty." _

_Tron grinned. "I wouldn't have it any other way."_

* * *

_Billy clinked glasses with Rosie. "Cheers. And to many more years to come." _

_Rosie giggled. "I certainly hope so. You're going to be the Representative of the People! Isn't that exciting?" _

"_Oh, yes." Billy sighed. "But it sounds like a lot of work! I'll be so tired." _

_Rosie swatted his head. "Now, now. Don't complain." _

_Billy grabbed her hand and kissed it, winking roguishly. "I have you. Who's complaining?" _

_The Queen of the Roses turned as red as her name. "Certainly not me!" _

_They both giggled for a while. _

"_I wonder if everyone else is having fun?" Billy murmured, stroking his chin. _

"_I saw King Yu, Queen Victoria, and the Duke partying." Rosie reported. "Tron and Leslie are dancing, and Emmy and Mattias are on the balcony. I don't know where Ronan and Delia are." _

"_I bet he's confessing his love!" Billy sighed. _

"_It must be so romantic!" Rosie squealed. _

* * *

"_DIE!" Cordelia' sword fell towards Ronan's head. "You hear me? DIE!" _

_Ronan's sword clashed an inch above his head. "I reject that message! YOU die!" _

_Cordelia and Ronan were not inside partying, like normal people. Instead, they were in the front courtyard, sparring like there was no tomorrow. _

"_I have to admit – I'm going to miss this immensely when you go back." Cordelia huffed, hopping away to catch her breath. They'd been sparring for four hours now, and she loved every minute of it. _

"_Same." Ronan grunted, wiping sweat off his forehead. _

_Cordelia assumed a defensive position again, trying to guess what his next movements would be. _

_Ronan stood up and grinned. "But, do you know the disadvantages of fighting someone you like?" _

_That threw her off. Cordelia didn't even have time to ask him what that meant when he reached over and kissed her. _

"_You usually end arguments like this." He whispered once they'd finished. _

_Cordelia grinned. "Sounds fine and dandy to me." _

* * *

_Emilia laughed. "Oh, look. They're kissing!" _

_Mattias chuckled as well. "I never thought I'd see the day King Ronan kissed a girl." _

_Emilia leaned back against the king, feeling at peace. "Do you think they'll marry someday?" _

_Mattias hugged her. "He'll probably propose to her, and she'll say yes if he beats her in a fight." _

_Emilia couldn't help giggling at the thought. "What about Billy and Rosie?" _

"_We'll have to coach him through the entire proposal." _

"_Leslie and Tron?" _

"_They'll drive each other up somebody's wall." _

"_Us?" Emilia pressed, turning to face Mattias. The Desert King smiled down at her, and Emilia's heart fluttered. _

"_Only if you're looking for a king." He murmured. _

"_I think I might be." Emilia pulled him into a soft kiss, grinning when he laughed. _

_Emilia looked up at the stars. It could have been her imagination, but she thought she saw her father smiling at her. _

'_Thank you, Father.' She thought. 'I've found my way back home.' _

* * *

_**Disclaimer: YuGiOh! and YuGiOh! ZEXAL belong to Kazuki Takahashi and Shin Yoshida, respectively. This is the work of a crazy fan. **_

_**Tali: I'm back! Yeah, sorry for the long wait. This year was soooooo looooooong and sooooo paaaaaiiiiiinnnnffffuuuullll. **_

_**Zexal: Tali-chan will attempt regular updates soon. We really don't know what is going on with everything. **_

_**Drexal: One more chapter to go! **_

_**Everyone: THANK GOD!**_


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